


The Curse of Eternity

by FiredUpAuthor



Category: Original Work
Genre: Bonding, Explicit Language, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, How Do I Tag, Hybrids, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Torture, Making this up as I go along, Mates, Music, Muteness, My First AO3 Post, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV First Person, Romance, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Shapeshifting, Sign Language, Strangers to Lovers, Touch-Starved, complex PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-19
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2019-08-04 11:29:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 37
Words: 46,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16345859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FiredUpAuthor/pseuds/FiredUpAuthor
Summary: The World is being consumed by the Darkness. Monsters are running rampant. The Monster Slayer Academies are falling. And it's all Oscar's fault. If he'd only defeated Hela when he had the chance none of this would be happening. But he hadn't. And now he was cursed to walk this World forever until he fixed his mistake. Forced to be reincarnated into a new body with each death.Now with most of his allies either dead or scattered Oscar is forced to find new ones. And he finds allies in the most unlikely of people. They call themselves the Pack.The story begins in Chapter 7. The first 6 are profiles of the 6 main characters. Which I do recommend looking at.*Formerly The Cursed Immortal and the Monster Slayer*





	1. Laura Profile

**Author's Note:**

> This is heavily inspired by RWBY!  
> First 6 Chapters will be the Main characters profiles

Introduction of Character

Name: Laura  
Nickname: N-23, Lu (by Pack and Oscar), Lulu (by Veronica)  
Age: Physical – 17, Actual – 125  
Gender: Female  
Race: Hybrid

Affiliation(s): Her Pack, Oscar’s Group

________________________________________  
The Character’s Appearance  
Height: 5’6  
Weight: N/A  
Eye Colour: Chocolate Brown  
Hair: Honeyed Brown, mid-shoulder  
Complexion: Fair  
________________________________________  
About The Character  
Status: Active  
Occupation: Monster Hunter, Alpha Female (Current) Killer (Former)

Handedness: Right  
Physical Characteristics: Laura is undeniably beautiful woman, with high cheekbones, full lips, memorizing brown eyes, flowing honeyed brown hair coming down to her mid-shoulder in soft waves, and a full figure.  
Accessories: Three tattoos. TSWPKN023 – on left forearm, intricate henna like tattoo on all of her right arm and hand, and birds flying on right shoulder blade

Personality: Laura is a complex and mysterious person, letting very few people in. On the outside she can seem cold and distant, and show little emotions; preferring to keep people at arm’s length. However, on the inside, she is a scared, broken, and scarred. Coming from nearly 130 years of daily torment and suffering.  
Laura loves animals, especially birds, who she sees as symbols of freedom. A freedom she never knew until recently. She, like the other members of her Pack, is very good at killing, though she takes on joy or pleasure from doing so.

Fear(s): Being taken back to her tormentors  
Likes: Music, specifically the piano, books, birds  
Dislikes: feeling like she’s caged  
Habit(s): Scratching at TSWPKN023 tattoo when agitated  
Fatal Flaw(s):

Strengths:  
Weaknesses: None currently known

________________________________________  
Relationship With Others  
Reputation: Cold and ruthless  
Friends: Kenny, Veronica, Shawn, Ophelia (Pack members), Oscar  
Team: Laura’s Pack  
Enemy(ies): her captures  
________________________________________  
The Character’s Abilities  
Agility: 10 /10  
Swordsmanship: 10 /10  
Long Range Accuracy: 20/10  
Defense: 20 /10  
Offense: 15 /10  
People Skills: 10 /10

Special Skill(s)/Gift: Two retractable claws in each hand, and one retractable claw in each foot (skill) Psionics and Regenerative Healing Factor (Gift)  
• Psionic Energy Manipulation: Laura can project energy blasts, streams, waves and bolts of her own psionic and telekinetic energy, allowing her to hit, push/pull or blow away her targets, potentially exerting enough force to destroy them. This energy manifests in any shape or form, outlining her telekinetic spheres of influence, as the energy is visible in a yellow color. When her energy hits a target, she can use her telekinesis to inflict further damage.  
• Telekinesis  
• Flight/Levitation  
• Psionic Force-Field Generation  
• Telepathy  
o Mental Manipulation  
o Fear Manipulation

 

Brief History: Laura was born and raised in captivity, along with her other Pack members. During the process of designing the Weapon Project the scientists behind it created the Bond. The Bond was created to insure the complacency of the Test Subjects, making them easier to control. Though Laura has never been Bonded to someone. She was designed to be the perfect killing machine, incapable of feeling remorse, and to be rented out to the highest bidder, and when not in use she was kept in cryosleep, which kept her and the others from aging. During Laura’s training she was tortured physically, mentally, and sometimes even sexually, almost daily. One day during training, Laura defied her masters, and as a result, they took away her ability to speak and she has been mute ever since.  
5 years before the start of the series, she and her Pack mates managed to escape from their captivity, and have been hiding in Mantle ever since. Since their escape they’ve been working as Hunters and Huntresses in the hopes of one day atoning for their sins.

Trivia: Laura’s powers are based off of both X-23 and Scarlet Witch  
• Laura has never cried in her life  
• Laura has never known what kindness feels like  
• She has complex PTSD  
• Played by Bridget Satterlee

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If the image doesn't show up here's the link:  
> https://i.redd.it/k6fn8ew01qzy.jpg


	2. Kenny's Profile

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First 6 Chapters will be the main characters profiles

Introduction of Character

Name: Kenny  
Nickname: Ken  
Age: Physical – 24, Actual – 132  
Gender: Male  
Race: Bear Hybrid

Affiliation(s): Laura’s Pack

________________________________________  
The Character’s Appearance  
Height: 5’8  
Weight: 194 pounds  
Eye Colour: Brown  
Hair: Chestnut Brown, very curly, sides shaved  
Complexion: Tan  
________________________________________  
About The Character  
Status: Active  
Occupation: Monster Hunter, Beta Male, Second-in-command of the Pack (Current), Killer (Former)

Handedness: Right  
Physical Characteristics: Tall and slender, with curly brown hair, and brown eyes, a tanned complex  
Accessories: TSWPKN013 tattoo on left forearm

Personality: Kenny is fairly laid back, not usually one to run head long into to a fight, preferring to think calmly and assess the situation. Usually Kenny can be seen with an easy going smile on his face. Do to his gentle nature it makes it easy for him to calm his other Pack mates down, making him Laura’s obvious choice for Second-in-command of the Pack. Kenny, like the other Pack members, are fiercely loyal to their Alpha, and will come to her aid when needed.

Fear(s): Being a mindless slave again  
Likes: Baseball, running  
Dislikes: Lairs  
Habit(s): Scratching at TSWPKN013 tattoo when agitated

 

________________________________________  
Relationship With Others  
Reputation: Laid back and easy going  
Friends: Laura (Alpha), Ophelia (Mate), Veronica, Shawn (Pack Members)  
Team: Laura’s Pack  
Enemy(ies): His captures  
________________________________________  
The Character’s Abilities  
Agility: 3 /10  
Swordsmanship: 8/10  
Long Range Accuracy: 3 /10  
Defense: 15/10  
Offense: 7 /10  
People Skills: 9 /10

Special Skill(s)/Gift: Sharp nails (Bear Hybrid), Creating Barriers (Gift)

 

Brief History: Since all the Pack Members have basically the same backstory, I’m not gonna bother rewriting the same thing over again only with different names. Ya’ll can see the backstory on Laura’s Profile

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If the image didn't show up here's the link:  
> https://d2npu017ljjude.cloudfront.net/images/regular-43/w735/84911-15.jpg


	3. Veronica's Profile

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First 6 chapters will be the main characters profiles

Introduction of Character

Name: Veronica  
Nickname: V  
Age: Physical – 21, Actual – 128  
Gender: Female  
Race: Porcupine Hybrid

Affiliation(s): Laura’s Pack

________________________________________  
The Character’s Appearance  
Height: 5’2  
Weight: 140 pounds  
Eye Colour: Brown  
Hair: Black, Shoulder length  
Complexion: Sun kissed tan  
________________________________________  
About The Character  
Status: Active  
Occupation: Monster Hunter, Beta Female, Third-in-command of the Pack (Current), Killer (Former)

Handedness: Left  
Physical Characteristics: Veronica is of Hispanic descent and on the small side. She has Shoulder length black hair, brown eyes, and a kind face.  
Accessories: TSWPKN011 on left forearm

Personality: Veronica can be seen as sassy and argumentative, especially around Shawn, and head strong. But she truly is a kind person trying to right the wrongs of her past, as is the rest of her Pack. Like the others she is very loyal to her Alpha and will follow her orders without question.  
Fear(s): Being judged for her past  
Likes: Shawn (most of the time), the outdoors  
Dislikes: Her captures  
Habit(s): Scratching at TSWPKN011 tattoo when agitated

 

________________________________________  
Relationship With Others  
Reputation: Incredibly sassy and hot headed  
Friends: Shawn (Mate), Laura (Alpha), Kenny, Ophelia (Pack mates)  
Team: Laura’s Pack  
Enemy(ies): Her captures  
________________________________________  
The Character’s Abilities  
Agility: 12 /10  
Swordsmanship: 6/10  
Long Range Accuracy: 20/10  
Defense: 10 /10  
Offense: 9 /10  
People Skills: 10/10

Special Skill(s)/Gift: Retractable and Extendable Nails on both hands and feet

Brief History: Since all the Pack Members have basically the same backstory, I’m not gonna bother rewriting the same thing over again only with different names. Ya’ll can see the backstory on Laura’s Profile

Trivia: I never actually gave Veronica a Gift

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If the image didn't show up here's the link:  
> https://i.pinimg.com/originals/e1/fa/54/e1fa544938fef9268dd86c899c49c3a1.jpg


	4. Shawn's Profile

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First 6 Chapters will be the main characters profiles

Introduction of Character

Name: Shawn  
Age: Physical – 21, Actual – 128  
Gender: Male  
Race: Hawk Hybrid

Affiliation(s): Laura’s Pack

________________________________________  
The Character’s Appearance  
Height: 6’1  
Weight: N/A  
Eye Colour: Brown  
Hair: Black, when not pushed back covers his eyes  
Complexion: Pale, Of Asian Descent  
________________________________________  
About The Character  
Status: Active  
Occupation: Monster Hunter, Beta Male (Current), Killer (Former)

Handedness: Left  
Physical Characteristics: Shawn is of Asian descent, with pale skin, black hair, and brown, nearly black, eyes. He is tall and lanky.  
Accessories: TSWPKN017 on left forearm

Personality: Shawn takes pride in his ability to annoy just about anyone he meets, with the exception of his Alpha, especially Veronica; who he likes poking fun at the most. With his arsenal of bad jokes and comebacks, he likes making light of most situations. Though, if needed he can become very serious.

Fear(s): Being caught  
Likes: Hunting, Slaying Monsters  
Dislikes: People  
Habit(s): Scratching at TSWPKN017 tattoo when agitated

________________________________________  
Relationship With Others  
Reputation: Annoying and sarcastic  
Friends: Veronica (Mate), Laura (Alpha), Kenny, Ophelia (Pack mates)  
Team: Laura’s Pack  
Enemy(ies): His Captures  
________________________________________  
The Character’s Abilities  
Agility: 2 /10  
Swordsmanship: 2 /10  
Long Range Accuracy: 15/10  
Defense: 6/10  
Offense: 10 /10  
People Skills: 5/10

Special Skill(s)/Gift: Insanely good vision, Expert Marksmanship (Gift)

 

Brief History: Since all the Pack Members have basically the same backstory, I’m not gonna bother rewriting the same thing over again only with different names. Ya’ll can see the backstory on Laura’s Profile

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If the image didn't show up here is the link:  
> https://i.pinimg.com/originals/28/15/44/281544b4da9c79b57089f9e1d892bc1d.png


	5. Ophelia's Profile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First 6 chapters will be the main characters profiles

Introduction of Character

Name: Ophelia  
Age: Physical – 22, Actual – 129  
Gender: Female  
Race: Chameleon Hybrid

Affiliation(s): Laura’s Pack

________________________________________  
The Character’s Appearance  
Height: 5’3 (normal)  
Weight: Changes  
Eye Colour: Brown (normal)  
Hair: Dark brown, short curly (Normal)  
Complexion: Dark, African Descent (Normal)  
________________________________________  
About The Character  
Status: Active  
Occupation: Monster Hunter, Beta Female (Current), Killer (Former)

Handedness: Right  
Physical Characteristics: Ophelia is a small woman, with a baby face, and dark skin, dark brown kinky hair, and brown eyes  
Accessories: TSWPKN008 on left forearm

Personality: Ophelia is soft spoken, often preferring to observe those around her. Shawn has called Ophelia the Mom of the Pack, due to the fact that she normally takes care of the others and cleans and cooks most of the time.

Fear(s): her Captures  
Likes: Singing, cleaning  
Dislikes: Lairs  
Habit(s): Scratching at TSWPKN008 tattoo when agitated

________________________________________  
Relationship With Others  
Reputation: The Mom of the Pack, Ophelia is kind, caring, and quite  
Friends: Kenny (Mate), Laura (Alpha), Shawn, Veronica (Pack mates)  
Team: Laura’s Pack  
Enemy(ies): Her caputres  
________________________________________  
The Character’s Abilities  
Agility: 10/10  
Swordsmanship: 6/10  
Long Range Accuracy: 3/10  
Defense: 10 /10  
Offense: 10 /10  
People Skills: 7/10

Special Skill(s)/Gift: Shapeshifting (Gift)

Brief History: Since all the Pack Members have basically the same backstory, I’m not gonna bother rewriting the same thing over again only with different names. Ya’ll can see the backstory on Laura’s Profile

Trivia: Imagine Mystique when she shapeshifts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If the image doesn't show up here's the link:  
> https://data.whicdn.com/images/190967041/large.jpg


	6. Oscar's Profile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last of the Profiles

Introduction of Character

Name: Oscar  
Nickname: Oz (by trusted allies)  
Age: Unknown  
Gender: Male  
Race: Human (Current)

Affiliation(s): Oscar’s Group

________________________________________  
The Character’s Appearance  
Height: 6’0 (Current)  
Weight: 196 lbs. (Current)  
Eye Colour: Green (Current)  
Hair: Rich Chocolate Brown with Carmel highlights (Current)  
Complexion: Pale (Current)  
________________________________________  
About The Character  
Status: Active  
Occupation: Monster Slayer, Teacher (Former)

Handedness: Right (Current)  
Physical Characteristics: Oscar is a tall, well-built man. He has brown hair usually swept over to the side, bright green eyes, and high cheek bones with freckles splattered across his face.

Personality: Oscar can be seen as both stoic and affable when he speaks. But he is also very humble admitting his mistakes and trying to make up for them. Oscar also doesn’t discriminate against Hybrids, as he’s been one several times, he knows what they go through.

Fear(s): Failing to stop Hela a second time

________________________________________  
Relationship With Others  
Reputation: Calm, cool, and collected  
Friends: Crow (trusted ally), Ruth, John, Reese (former students)  
Team: Oscar’s Group  
Enemy(ies): Hela  
________________________________________  
The Character’s Abilities  
Agility: 8 /10  
Swordsmanship: 10/10  
Long Range Accuracy: 9/10  
Defense: 13/10  
Offense: 15/10  
People Skills: 10 /10

Special Skill(s)/ Gift: Oscar is just straight up Magic

Brief History: A long time ago, Oscar failed to stop Hela, the creator of the Darkness; an all-consuming force. Due to his failure the gods cursed Oscar to be reincarnated whenever he died, so he could right his wrong.

Trivia: Based off of Ozpin from RWBY

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If the image didn't show up, then here's the link:  
> https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/harrypotterfanon/images/d/dd/Froy_Gutierrez_%28HPR1%29.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20170913171331


	7. Chapter 1: Meeting the Pack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oscar meets the Pack for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea how to indent. Seriously, I spent a good hour trying to figure this out. So I apologize for that. So if anyone knows how, please tell me

It had been hours since Crow had left in search of allies. I wasn’t so sure I could consider them “allies” though. He’d promised they could be trusted to get the job done, but there was still doubt in my mind.

I stood on the back porch of the house Crow was renting, leaning against the railing with my head resting against my hand, and watched my old students training in hand-to-hand combat. Reese was trying to show Ruth and John a counter, but failing at getting them to grasp the concept.

Turning, I walked back inside the house just as Crow walked in with five people in tow.

“Perfect timing Oz.” he said as a way of greeting.

“I was being to wonder where’d you’d gone.”

He shrugged and nodded his head towards the five strangers behind him. “It’s been a long day. You?”

“Nothing to complain about.”

“I’ll grab the kids and have them whip up you guys something to eat.” Crow said to the people, still standing in the doorway.

“No need.” said a calm woman’s voice. “We don’t wish to impose.”

“You’re not imposing on anyone. If anything it’s _us_ who are imposing.” he said opening the door and shouting at the students to come in and make something, that we had guests.

After my students were all in the kitchen and the clatter of cutlery could be heard, Crow invited the strangers to sit. Most did. The two men remained standing. The one with black hair and pale skin propped himself up against the wall, while the dark-skinned one stood behind the couch. The three women choose to sit on the couch in front of myself and Crow. The woman on the left side of the couch was dark skinned like the man behind her, with short kinky dark brown hair and eyes, though she had a kind face. The woman on the right was obviously of Hispanic descent, with tan skin, shoulder length black hair and brown eyes.

Though the woman in the middle of the couch caught my attention. Not because of what she looked like, but because I _couldn’t_ see her. She had on a black hoodie, with the hood pulled over her eyes, so I could only make out full pink lips, and her hands were in the pouch of her hoodie. She was also wearing blue jean shorts, which showed off her incredibly soft looking legs and sneakers.

“I guess introductions are in order, first!” said the Hispanic woman. “We’ll go first! I’m Veronica. That’s Ophelia.” she said pointing to the dark-skinned woman across from her. “That’s Kenny.” she pointed to the man behind Ophelia. “That’s Shawn.” she pointed to the Asian man leaning against the wall. “And this is our fearless leader: Laura.” she said gesturing to the hooded woman beside her.

Veronica seemed to notice the fact that Laura had her hood pulled up for the first time, because she said, “Honestly, Lu! We’ve talked about this!” Then removed the hood from the girl’s head.

If I’d been a normal man, I probably would’ve started drooling (much like Crow) at the sight of Laura. Of all my years of walking the earth, I’ve never seen someone like her. Beautiful didn’t seem like an adequate word for her. She had long honeyed color hair, which looked soft to the touch, beautiful brown eyes, high cheekbones, and an effortless grace to her. Though the others around her didn’t seem affected by her appearance. Probably because they were used to it.

I blinked several times, before clearing my throat.

“Yes, it’s nice to meet you all. My name is Oscar. And you know my ally: Crow.”

Veronica nodded.

“Oh yes! He came by our house earlier, all grumpy like, and asked us if we could meet him here. Something about a job. He wouldn’t say what though. He was very secretive about it. We got curious and came.”

Kenny spoke up for the first time, but curiously his eyes were yellow, not brown.

“I’d like to know why this job is so secretive and why a bunch of teenagers are here.”

Once he’d finished speaking his eyes returned to brown. I exchanged a look with Crow, who shrugged.

Right to the point, I guess.

“Tell me, what do you know about the gods?” I asked.

The five of them exchanged curious looks.

“Why?” asked Ophelia.

“Humor me, please.”

“Not very much, I’m afraid.” she replied.

Suddenly, all five of their eyes changed to yellow, and just as quickly, returned to their normal color.

“Are you talking about the twin gods?” Shawn asked.

I nodded.

“Then yeah. We know about them. How they created Life and Death, and so on. How one of them created the Monsters that roam the world today.”

“Precisely. So you know about the Darkness.”

Laura nodded, and my attention was directed to her. Her head tilted to the side, which reminded me of a dog, and her eyes seemed to study me, almost like she was searching for something.

“Thousands of years ago, I failed to stop the creator of the Darkness, and because of that, I’ve been cursed to walk this earth until I stop her. Forced to reincarnate into a new body whenever I die.” I said getting right down to it.

Looking up, I was met by four confused faces. Only Laura’s remained passive.

“What?”

“That’s impossible!”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Is this a joke?”

“No. It’s not a joke.” Crow spoke up. “It’s the truth. Her name is Hela.”

They all looked ready to protest when their heads all whipped toward Laura, who still remained quiet.

            “You believe him, Laura?” Ophelia asked.

Slowly, Laura nodded her head. Never once taking her eyes off of me.

“Well… she _does_ have a point. It’s not the craziest thing we’ve heard.” said Shawn joining the others behind the couch. “We’re not exactly normal either.”

“Now _I’m_ confused.” said Crow. “What are you all talking about?”

They looked to Laura, who nodded again.

“First things first,” said Kenny, “whatever the job, we’ll take it. Second, those kids shouldn’t be told what we’re about to tell you.”

Okay, now I’m curious.

“How old are you? You look 17.” Kenny asked.

I chuckled at that. “I’m very old. I’ll leave it at that. But yes, you’re right. Physically I am 17.”

Kenny broke out into a broad grin.

“Oscar, right? Well, Oscar, my friends and I aren’t as young as we look either. I’m actually 132 years old. Veronica and Shawn are 128. Ophelia is 129. And Laura is the baby of us at 125 years old.”

“You’re joking?’ Crow asked.

“Seriously?” Kenny asked. “You’re sitting next to _him,”_ he gestured to me, “and you find _us_ being over 130 years old to be ridiculous?”

“Then explain how you look so young.”

He glanced at Laura, who did nothing and continued. “We were put in cryosleep when we weren’t being used. It halted our aging.”

“Used for what?” I asked.

Kenny opened his mouth to saying something but his eyes flashed yellow and he winced.

“Sorry. That’s all I can tell you right now.”

Just then, Laura began to raise from her spot on the couch, causing the others to raise as well.

Kenny sighed and looked at Laura.

“Really all you need to worry about is that we will help you. Should we come back here tomorrow?”

Crow nodded.

They all began making their way to the front door, except Laura. She stood looking up at me. I stood at least a head taller than her. She removed her hands from her hoodie. I was surprised to see that her right was covered by a rusted red henna tattoo. Nowhere on her hand was left uncovered. She reached out with that hand, and when I clasped it, it felt like a bolt of lightning shot through me. Though she remained passive as she and others left, I was left to wonder if I’d just imagined it.

Just then, Ruth came out of the kitchen, with a tray full of food. She looked around confused.

“Where’d they go?”

“They just left kiddo.”

Ruth looked disappointed.

“Don’t worry.” Crow said messing with her hair, “They said they’d be back tomorrow.”

“So they’re gonna help us?” she asked hopefully.

“That’s what it seems like.” I said.

I looked at Crow. “Mind if I talk to you?”

He nodded towards the porch as Ruth left the room.

“Notice anything odd about them?” I asked the second the door was closed.

“Yeah. Several things actually. Like how they said that Laura girl was their leader, but she never spoke.”

“Or how sometimes one of their eyes would glow yellow then change back.”

“Yeah. I noticed that too. Do you think they’re lying about helping us?”

I shook my head.

“No that’s the really strange part. I have no doubt of their sincerity. But, it’s Laura that has me the most confused about.”

“You mean the fact that’s she’s probably the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen?” Crow asked.

I nodded.

“Huh. So she got to you too? You didn’t show it.”

I smiled wryly at that.

“Well, I have been alive a lot longer than you have. I’d certainly be ashamed if I couldn’t hide the fact I found someone attractive.”

“So you _do_ find her attractive?”

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

“You’d have to be blind not to. Crow, that’s not the point I’m trying to make.”

“And what point is that?”

“I don’t know, while we were talking, I kept getting the sense that she was looking for something.”

“Looking for something?”

“In my head. I don’t know, it’s hard to explain.”

“Hmmm…” Crow pondered that for a minute, “do you think it could be her Gift?”

“It would explain the yellow glowing eyes.”

A question popped into my head.

“Crow?”

“Yeah?”

“Where did you hear about them?”

“In the lower districts, it’s hard _not_ to hear about them. People call them the Pack. Apparently, they’ve done a lot of good for the people there. No one told me what they looked like, so when I knocked on their door, I didn’t know what to expect. Definitely not them.”

“Did you see Laura there?”

He gave me a knowing look, which I just sighed.

“Not for _that_ reason. Besides, you know I can’t.”

Crow chuckled.

“No, I didn’t. Veronica came to the door.”

“What do you think they meant by ‘not in use’?”

Crow shrugged.

“Who knows.”

“Also, and I don’t if I was just imagining it or what. But, when Laura shook my hand, it felt like a bolt of lightning was going through me.”

“I think that’s called attraction, Oz.”

I sighed.

“I’ve been attracted to women before, Crow! I’m not a saint. I know what it feels like.”

He held up his hands.

“I’m just saying it’s probably been awhile.”

I deadpanned him.

“Fine or not. Whatever. Guess we can find out tomorrow.”


	8. Chapter 2: The Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oscar has a strange nightmare

_I was sitting in a sterile room rubbed at the brand on my left forearm TSWPKN023, turning the skin red when someone walked in, slamming the door against the wall. I didn’t bother looking up. I knew what was going to happen._

_As expected, the man, I could tell from his scent, men always smell differently from women, grabbed a handful of my hair and started dragging me from the room. Even though I’d expected this, it didn’t mean I’d go quietly._

_I gnashed my teeth together, trying to get at him, my hands pulled and tugged at his, trying to get him to let me go. He was stronger than the others, and I was still weak from being woken up. I pulled with all my might to get away from him._

_He turned a corner._

_I tried in vain to unsheathe my claws or use my powers, but I was so tired and disoriented from being woken up, that it was like trying to swim through tar (which I’d done). All I wanted was to be free! I could have cried when I felt a chunk of hair being pulled from my scalp, though that was nothing new._

_We turned another corner._

_White. I hated the color white. It’s all I ever saw! I hated_ them. _The people who did this to me and my Pack. My Pack was still asleep, that much I could make out from their muted thoughts._

_I heard a door slide open and next thing I knew I was being thrown in. I barely managed to use my hands to stop my fall. I looked up to view my surroundings. More of those damned white walls, and a viewing window, though I couldn’t see anyone, I knew they were there. I hated them._

_“Good morning, 23.” said a fake cheerful voice._

  1. _I hated that number. I hated everything around me. I hated being what they made me: a killer._



_“Good news! I think we finally found you a Mate!”_

_I froze. She said that like it was a good thing. It wasn’t._

_I stared at the window with malice. I hated them._

_“Oh, now don’t look at me like that! At least you won’t be alone anymore.”_

_They’d tried to Mate me to someone before. It never worked. I always killed them. The only thing I was good at. Killing. They thought Mating me to some random man could make me easier to control. They were wrong. I didn’t know how, but I knew my Mate would never be found here. In these cursed white walls. That he was out there. In the_ real _world. A world filled with birds and colors and… and sound…and no white walls… and_ freedom.

_The door behind me opened again, and I spun around and unsheathed my claws._

_This_ thing _lumbered in, and I stepped back. So they went for size this time. Oh well, it didn’t matter. He was still stupid._

_The monster came rushing at me, I dodged him easily and slashed at him with my claws; catching the side of his face._

_The monster howled in pain and anger, as he turned on me. Catching me by surprise, he grabbed the front of my shirt and threw me against the wall. I felt my skull creak open as I slid down the wall, my vision blurring as he…_

I sat bolt upright in bed, panting and in a cold sweat. It took me a moment to regain my bearings. I ran my fingers through my hair, expecting to find some missing. None where. I looked down at my left forearm, turning it over. Nothing there, either. I looked at my hands, no claws.  I rubbed the remaining sleep from my eyes and looked at the clock. 4:43 A.M.

I groaned and rested my head in my hands. That hadn’t felt like a dream. More like a memory. And not one of mine. Even though I had plenty, I had none like that. I’ve never hated anything so intensely in my entire existence, except maybe Hela.

I fell back onto my bed and stared at the ceiling. For the first time, I noticed it was white, and it filled me with a certain… discomfort.

I took a deep breath.

“Calm down, Oscar. It was just a bad dream. Even you get those.” I told myself.

Suddenly, I couldn’t stand being in the house, so I dressed in a pair of slacks and a T-shirt and very quietly made my way down the stairs and out to the back porch.

I sighed deeply and slumped into one of the chairs on the porch. I ran my hands through my hair again.

_It was in the past. It can’t hurt you anymore._

I sat up and scanned the yard. I _know_ I’d heard someone. A woman. If it hadn’t been so quiet I’d’ve missed her.

“H-hello?” I asked tentatively, not really expecting a response.

I didn’t get one.

I groaned again and slumped back into the chair.

“Maybe all these reincarnations are finally getting to me and I’m going crazy.”

“What makes you say that?”

I whipped my head around to find Crow leaning against the door frame.

“How long have you been there?”

“’Bout three seconds? How long have you been out here?”

“Few minutes.”

He nodded.

“What makes you think you’re going crazy?”

“Oh you know,” I shrugged, “hearing voices in my head.”

Crow chuckled.

“Oz, if you were going crazy you would have a long time ago.”

I gave my old friend a dry smile.

“Thanks, I guess.”

I started rubbing at my left forearm, feeling like there was an itch I just couldn’t scratch.

“What’s wrong with your arm?”

“I don’t know. It just itches. A lot.”

Crow hummed thoughtfully.

“Hey, Oz, what do you know about Bonding?”

I turned to fully face Crow.

“Why?”

“Humor me?”

I scowled at him, and he shrugged.

Sighing, I ran my fingers through my hair.

“Bonding is mostly a Hybrid thing. Though Humans can Bond to a Hybrid. It’s like finding your perfect match, or your other half. I’ve been a Hybrid. Several times, in fact. Why?”

“Have you ever Bonded with someone?”

I laughed dryly at that.

“Don’t be ridiculous! Bonding is a onetime thing. There are no do-overs. Again, why do you ask?”

Crow scratched the stubble on his chin.

“I was just thinking about the Pack.”

I raised an eyebrow, as to say _go on._

“Do you think their Hybrids?”

“It’s possible. There are some Hybrids who look more like Humans. You could always ask them when they come over later.”

Crow shrugged and went back inside the house.

_So… you know what it’s like to be a Hybrid?_ whispered the voice in my head.

I groaned and rubbed my temples. It chuckled. _No. You are not going crazy. I promise you, I am real._

“And how do I know that?” I whispered.

Silence.

“Figures.” I said standing up and walking back in the house.

I walked into the kitchen, where Crow was brewing some coffee.

He set a cup in front of me.

“Thank you.” I said taking a big gulp. “Did you find out anything else about the Pack?”

He shook his head.

“Not much. Up until five years ago, they didn’t exist.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, that until five years ago, there are no records of them. No birth certificates, no medical records, no relatives, no nothing.”

“Interesting.”

 

* * *

 

“Come on, Ruth!” called Reese, “It’s not that hard of a concept!”

Reese was trying (mostly failing) to teach Ruth hand-to-hand combat. Ruth mostly fought with weapons and wasn’t as well versed in hand-to-hand.

“Oz,” I turned as Crow came outside with Laura’s group following behind him, “we got company.”

Much to my dismay, my attention was immediately captured by Laura, but it seems as though she captured my students’ attention as well.

She wasn’t wearing her hoodie today, and I suspected not by choice, but a dark gray tank top, shorts, and sneakers. She looked comfortable and _un_ comfortable at the same time. And she was breathtaking, the way her hair shone in the sunlight, and her eyes sparkled, and…

_Snap out of it, Oz!_ I scolded myself.

When I looked up again, I found her staring directly at me. Strangely, I didn’t feel the need to tell her to stop.

“Is that a tattoo?”

Our attention was snatched away from each other by Ruth’s question.

I noticed Ruth pointing to Laura’s right side, which was facing away from me.

Laura lifted up her right fist, still covered in the rusted red henna, and nodded it.

While I was able to keep my composure together, I seized up on the inside. I recognized that movement. It’s Sign Language. That explained Laura’s lack of sound. But she obviously wasn’t deaf. Her reaction to Ruth’s speaking was proof enough of that. _If she wasn’t deaf… and she used Sign Language to communicate… she could have some form of social anxiety… no, she didn’t seem the type to be socially anxious; the way she held herself showed her confidence, or… she could be… she could be… mute? Could she? That would explain somethings._

Ruth stared at the raised fist in confusion.

“It means: yes.” Ophelia spoke up.

“Oh. Ummm…” It was obvious Ruth wanted to question why Laura communicated in the way she did but didn’t want to appear rude.

“Laura it mute, child.” Ophelia explained.

My three students’ eyes widened at the explanation.

“Whoa! Really?” Ruth exclaimed with a childlike innocence.

Laura simply nodded.

“Right!” interrupted Crow. “Before you all say something you’ll regret, let’s introduce our new allies. This is Laura, Kenny, Veronica, Shawn, and Ophelia.” He pointed to each in turn as he introduced them.

“Hello, I’m Ruth!”

“John.”

“Reese.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Veronica smiled. “What were you all doing before we come out here?”

“We’re trying to teach the kids hand-to-hand combat, so they don’t rely so much on their weapons.” Crow informed them.

Shawn’s brightened, and he shared a conspiratorially with Veronica.

“Laura can help! She’s,” he gave her a little push, “an expert on hand-to-hand.”

If looks could kill, Shawn would be nothing but dust. He just gave her a devilish grin in return. Then, like yesterday, his eyes lit up yellow, and his grin only widened.

“Bitch at me all you want, there’s no denying you’re the best of us.”

Laura continued to glare at him.

“You know, all I’m hearing are excuses, excuses, excuses. You’ll be fine, Alpha. You can control it.”

“I’m sorry,” came Reese’s confused voice, “but what is going on? Who are you talking too?”

Shawn’s eyes changed back to brown.

“Oh! I guess we should explain Laura’s Gifts… if it’s alright with you?” Kenny said.

Laura nodded.

“ _Wait!_ Gift _s_ as in plural? You can only ever have one!” protested John.

Kenny held up his hand. “As per our agreement to help you, not too many questions; and this is one.”

My students’ eyed each other but nodded.

“Laura’s Gifts are Psionics and Regenerative Healing. One of the many things she can do with her Psionics is telepathy.”

“Well… that explains yesterday.” I mumbled to myself, quiet enough for no one to hear. Or at least I thought so when I looked over I saw Laura looking at me again.

“So can you?” Ruth asked, pulling her attention away from me, again.

“ _Can I what?”_ Laura asked, then Veronica immediately translated.

“Teach us how to fight?”

Laura looked hesitant like she was almost afraid. Kenny put a hand on her shoulder, but she immediately started collapsing under the touch, and he took it off her shoulder.

She huffed and nodded her headed. The students’ eyes brightened at the idea of a new teacher.

As she walked down the steps of the porch, I noticed on her right shoulder blade was a tattoo, with seven little birds flying across her shoulder. And I finally got a good look at her right side. The henna on her hand extended all the way up to her shoulder, nowhere on her arm was unmarked. It was a beautiful piece of art.

When she reached Ruth, the latter was practically bouncing with excitement.

Ruth moved into a defensive position, while Laura remained in a relaxed stance like she wasn’t about to fight someone.

Ruth, made the first move, surging forward while Laura simply stood there. When Ruth got close enough, she swung her fist. Laura simply batted her hand away, and sidestepped her, throwing Ruth off balance and she fell face first. Ruth was back up on her feet in an instant. She tried kicking Laura’s feet out from under her, which she sidestepped again.

“Laura, you could at least _pretend_ to try.” Veronica said.

Laura glanced at her and rolled her eyes.

Ruth kept trying to land a hit, and Laura kept either dodging or sidestepping. After 30 minutes of this, Ruth was panting and drenched in sweat, while Laura had barely broken a sweat.

“That’s it… I give… _up!”_ Ruth huffed flopping down on the ground.

“Wow. You’re really good… I think.” John said.

“Oz, maybe you should go against her. Maybe she can give you a run for your money.” Crow said nudging my shoulder.

Shawn must’ve overheard.

“Yeah man! We should see who’s better; our Alpha, or the Immortal! _Ow!”_ The last bit was from Veronica clopping him across the back of the head.

“Don’t be an ass!” she scolded.

“ _What?_ I wasn’t!”

“Yes, you were!”

 “No, I wasn’t!”

“Both of you _stop!”_ shouted Kenny, with yellow eyes.

They both huffed.

“I don’t mind, so long as it’s okay with you, Laura.” I said turning to face her.

“ _No, I don’t mind. I haven’t had a real fight in ages.”_

I chuckled.

“Neither have I.”

Her eyes widened in surprise.

“ _You know sign?”_

I nodded.

A small smile graced her face.

I walked down the stairs as Ruth dragged herself back up them.

“Don’t go easy on me.” I smirked.

She returned the smirk.

“ _Never.”_

She moved first. Swinging her leg around at my face. I ducked, feeling the breeze tousle my hair. I countered with an uppercut, which she easily dodged. Laura made a grab for my hand, but I jumped out of the way before she could make contact.

Like with Ruth, we fought for 30 minutes, neither of us really landing any hits, but unlike with Ruth, in the end, we were both panting and sweating. While fighting, I’d noticed Laura’s composure slowly slipping away.

“Man, she’s really good!” I heard John say, glancing over at him.

Because I was distracted, Laura managed to grab my shirt and threw me over her shoulder. I landed on the ground, feeling all the air leave my lungs in a _whoosh._ Before I could get back up, Laura had me pinned with her left hand on my chest, and her right fist raised like she was going to punch me. I started panicking when I looked at her raised hand and saw two metal coated claws protruding from her knuckles. I looked back into her eyes and saw that they were yellow. I looked into her eyes and saw emotions swirling around in them.

Her eyes flited from one eye to the other, and slowly, very slowly, her expression softened, her eyes changed back to brown and her claws retracted.


	9. Chapter 3: Getting a Call

Laura’s breathing gradually returned to normal. She loosened her grip on my shirt and continued to stare at me, and me to her. She rested her other hand on my chest, still hovering over me.

Her face was inches from mine.

I swallowed the lump that started forming in my throat when I realized this.

“Are you okay?” I whispered.

Her eyes refocused on mine. Slowly, she nodded and stood.

Laura offered me her hand, which I accepted. Like before, the second our hands touched a bolt of lightning shot through me, though not as strong as before.

“Are you _sure_ that you’re okay?” I asked concerned after I stood up looking down at her.

She nodded, letting go of my hand.

She turned on her heels and walked back up to the porch, where I noticed that her friends all where tensed, ready to pounce at any minute; but when Laura reached them, they all relaxed.

“Alright kids, go back to training.” Crow announced, “The seven of us have some more things to discuss.”

The five members of Laura’s group went back inside, while I joined Crow on the porch.

“So,” I whispered, “what did you see?”

“Laura was on top of you,” Crow whispered back, “claws coming out of her knuckles, with murder in her eyes.”

I nodded.

“And her friends?”

“The second those claws came out they all tensed up, ready to pounce. Whether it was to defend you or help her; I couldn’t tell.”

“I see. More questions we can’t answer… yet.”

With that, we went back inside.

 

* * *

          

“It’s okay! You didn’t hurt him!” came Ophelia’s voice from the living room.

“She’s right!”

“Laura, it was an _accident!_ ”

“He didn’t even seem phased by it!”

“We would’ve stopped you, and you know it!”

I glanced at Crow. Well, that’s one question answered. Something must’ve triggered Laura into unleashing her claws on me, and the reason why her friends seemed ready to pounce was to stop Laura.

Crow and I stood at the entrance of the living room, Laura’s friends surrounded her, and each trying to reassure her that what just happened was an accident.

I cleared my throat, they all looked up. Everyone, but Laura, who held her head in her hands.

“We weren’t interrupting anything?” Crow asked.

“No,” said Veronica glancing at Laura.

“Then can we talk about something?”

“If it’s about what just happened it was…” Veronica rushed to explain, but I held my hand up to stop her.

“It’s not about what just happened. I took on offense to it. It was an accident. They happen… to everyone. Believe me, I know. I’ve made my fair share.”

They all relaxed. Laura looked up from her hands, and for the first time, I noticed something… something broken in her. It was unsettling, but it also made me angry for some reason. Which didn’t make much sense to me, it wasn’t an ordinary anger. Almost… territorial.

“Are you all… Hybrids?” I asked uncertainly.

They looked at each other.

“Is it that obvious?” Veronica asked.

“No.”

She gave a humorless smile while rubbing the back of her head.

“Yes, you’re right. We are Hybrids. Is that going to be a problem?”

I shook my head.

“No. It’s just that there are normally more tells. I’ve never seen Hybrids that look so… _human._ No offense.” I added quickly.

Kenny chuckled, and others (minus Laura) smiled.

“None taken. We know how human we look. We didn’t always look this human.”

I wanted to ask why, but I could tell it was best if I didn’t.

Crow’s phone began to buzz. He pulled it out of his jacket pocket and answered.

“Hello...Okay… Yeah, we’ll be there.”

“Who was that?” I asked once he’d hung up.

“That,” Crow said putting his phone away, “was Leo. Said he had some kinda breakthrough with the Senate. Said he could possibly be able to put together a small raiding party so we can go and get my sister. Told me to come by the academy tonight, to go over the details.”

I hummed.

“That sounds very different from your first meeting with him.”

“Yeah, it does.”

“Is everything alright?” asked Ophelia.

“That is hard to tell. It could be nothing.” I replied.

“When is it just ‘ _nothing’_ , Oz?” Crow countered, using finger air quotes on _nothing._

“I’m sorry,” Kenny spoke up, “I’m confused.”

I sighed and rubbed the bridge of my nose. “Leo is one of my lieutenants I can trust. But Crow told me about his meeting with Leonardo. He isn't just behaving irrationally, he's disobeying specific instructions I had left him. Something's wrong. I don't want to jump to conclusions, but I don't want to rule out any possibilities, either.”

“I see,” Kenny began speaking, his eyes yellow, “so you think something suspicious is going on? Also, how many lieutenants do you have?”

“Possibly. And I have four. Crow, could you go gather the students?” I asked turning to him.

He nodded and went back outside.

“What can we do to help?”

I turned back to them.

“Come with us tonight. I’m hoping it’s just my paranoia, but I have a bad feeling about this.”

They all nodded.

“First, I’d like to know what is so important at the academy that we need to get.”

“It’s called an Artifact. There’s four of them, each at the different academies, and they are very powerful. If we can get them all, then maybe we might have a chance against Hela.”

“And the Artifact at Sanctuary?”

“Safe. For now. I made sure to make the Artifact there difficult to find, so don’t worry. Our focus now is the Artifacts at Oase, Zima, and Ombra Academies. We’ll worry about the Sanctuary Artifact later.”

They nodded.

“Should we go back to our home until then?”

“Sure, just make sure you’re back here before tonight.”

* * *

 

“Ya know, I don’t think any of us have Oase Academy before,” Kenny stated as we walked through said academy.

“Really?” Crow said turning to look at him from over his shoulder; “I would’ve thought the five of you would’ve been top of your class.”

“We didn’t really need to go to one of the four Academies. It’d just teach us more of what we already knew. So we didn’t see the point.”

“Good point,” Crow said turning back around.

Crow opened a large set of double doors leading into the lobby of the school.

“Hello.” Came a familiar voice from one of the many balconies. “I thank you all… for coming tonight.” Leo sounded nervous. “There’s… more of you, than last time.”

“You know the old saying ‘the more the merrier’. What’s all this about?” Crow replied nonchalantly.

“Why do you have your weapons with you?” Leo dodged Crow’s question.

My suspicion grew more and more by the second. Where was everyone? There were no teachers anywhere on the campus.

Crow and Leo continue to argue when I hear Ruth gasp and saying something that sounded like ‘ _Robin?’_ Next thing I hear is a gunshot going off and a bird squawking.

Suddenly, Robin, Crow’s twin sister, is standing beside Leo.

“Don’t insult me with that!” she outraged.

“What are you doing here?” Crow seethed.

“What’s it to you?” She said walking down the stairs.

Crow growled at his sister.

Slowly she drew her sword. My students drew theirs, Crow put his hand on his, Laura’s Pack Mates tensed. Only Laura and I remained calm.

Robin opened a portal and a giant fireball came out and hit Ruth in the chest, sending her flying back several feet.

An ominous laugh followed as, out of the portal, stepped three people I dreaded seeing. The reason why Sanctuary was in ruins and why I’d died a few months ago.

“Hello there.” Greeted Lydia cheerfully, my previous killer. Beside her was Hunter and Edmund and three others I didn’t know. All of them working for Hela.

“We have the school blocked off. No one’s getting in. No one’s getting out.” Hunter said crossing his arms.

I swallowed the lump forming in my throat. None of these people knew who I was… yet.

“How long have you been with them Robin? _Tell me!”_ shouted Crow furious.

Lydia laughed like a spoiled child. “Aww, don't take it personally, baby bird. Your sister was a recent addition. The lion on the other hand... Entrance into the Peace Festival was a real treat, Leonardo's been sending Hela all sorts of information for a very, very long time. Isn't that right, professor?” she mocked.

Leo at least had the decency to look ashamed. But he didn’t deny it. I could feel my anger start to boil. How many years? How many secrets? How many plans? Allies? _People?_ How many had Leo sacrificed for the sake of his own _skin?!_ I _trusted_ him!

I felt a hand on my wrist, I turned and saw Laura offering me a sympathetic look. Some of my anger dissolved, not all of it.

“You killed them!” Crow pointed accusingly at Leo. “All those Slayers! _Dead!_ Every one of them! Because of _you!”_

“Oh, don’t worry about it, Lion. We would’ve found them eventually.” Lydia joked.

“How…” said John shaking, “how can you be so proud of something like that?”

“Everyone stay calm,” Crow commanded.

Lydia’s eyes finally landed on Laura and her Pack, and she looked like a kid in a candy store. She began laughing.

“Well! Isn’t _this_ a surprise! I thought we’d _never_ find them! And here you’ve done our job for us!”

“What are you talking about?” Reese asked.

Lydia pointed to Laura’s Pack, her expression turning crazed.

“You’ve found our precious little weapons!”

Everyone’s attention turned to Laura and her Pack. They all had murder written all over their faces, all with yellow glowing eyes.


	10. Chapter 4: Oase Academy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shit escalates quickly

Pandemonium is what you could charitably describe what was happening. Utter and complete pandemonium.

John had rushed at Lydia, who was still smiling like a maniac. The others had jumped into an attack as well. Crow against Robin, Ruth against two of the unknowns, Reese, Veronica and Shawn against Hunter, Ophelia and Kenny against Edmund and the last unknown. I looked up at Leo, frowning.

I worked my way up the stairs to a nervous Leo, who was watching the fighting, out of the corner of my eye I saw Laura doing the same on the other side. When I finally got close enough to Leo he turned around.

“Child, I don't know who you are or what you think you're doing, but for your sake, I suggest you leave. Now.” He said nervously pointing his weapon at me.

I said nothing, continuing to stare at him for a few moments, then took a few steps forward.

“ _I’m warning you!”_ He bellowed.

I started to reach for my weapon when he fired at me. I dodged. I grabbed my weapon, clicked a small switch, and it expanded into a spear.

Leo’s eyes widen. “ _Os…car?”_

I said nothing and lunged forcing him on the defensive.

“I… I knew you’d be back! But… so soon! And with Crow!” He stammered trying to dodge my attacks. “Wait… you can’t have had this form for very long?”

My frown deepened. He sounded so desperate. _What’s happened to you?_ He fired a fireball at me and I managed to jump out of the way.

“ _NOOOOOO!”_

I spun around and saw to my horror, Ophelia impaled in the stomach, and Ruth unconscious. John and Veronica and Kenny were rushing to her side.

In anger, I clubbed Leo so hard over the head it sent him rolling down the stairs, as I rushed to check on Ophelia, then Ruth. John was already starting to heal Ophelia, thanks to his Gift.

“Ruth,” I said trying to shake her awake, “Come on! _Wake up!”_

She began to stir when “ _OSCAR!!!!”_

_Oh, no!_

Looking up, I was met with the furious face of Hunter.

“ _Did you really think you hide from me?!”_

I slowly started to back away as he started to advance.

“ _You’ll pay for what you did! And you’ll die over and over!!!”_

Hunter leaped forward, but I was knocked out of the way before he could get close. My back collided with a pillar, knocking the wind out of me.

Looking over, I saw it was Laura who pushed me out of the way. She looked murderous. She was crouched low and circling around Hunter with her teeth bared. I saw that her canines came to a sharp point and that her claws were bared.

She lunged at Hunter, slashing at him with her claws, he swung at her, but given her much smaller size, she jumped out of the way and kicked him in the face. Hunter roared and lunged for her, but Laura danced out of the way.

I picked myself back up and ran to help Laura. This wasn’t her fight. Hunter’s grudge was with me.

Just as Laura managed to stab Hunter in the leg with one of the claws coming out of her foot, I hit Hunter across the chest with the end of my spear, sending him reeling. Hunter roared in anger, slamming his fist to the ground, sending a shockwave, throwing Laura and I off balance.

Laura recovered first. Pushing me out of the way of another attack from Hunter. I readied myself for another attack, holding out my spear when a fireball collided with my right arm. I yelped in pain, clutching my arm. I glanced over and saw Leo pointing at me. Those few seconds cost me. Hunter raised his fist, and again, Laura pushed me out of the way getting the full force of the blow; sending her flying back for several feet, colliding with one of the pillars with a sickening crunch.

I removed my hand from my arm, it was covered in blood. I didn’t feel it though. It must have been the adrenaline. But I also couldn’t move my right arm. Again, while distracted, Hunter charged hitting me square in the chest sending me back several feet.

“Hiding behind the face of a child?!” Hunter screamed.

Laura came barreling at him, but before she could get close, he grabbed her arm and pinned her head to the ground with his hand. She struggled to remove his crushing hand from her head.

“How many more people will have to die for you?”

Laura then grabbed his wrist, and a cloud of yellow energy surged from her. Sending Hunter threw the building.

“Hi-is Gift… he blocks out pain.”

Laura nodded as she stood up. Walking over to me and helping me up.

“Laura.”

We glanced over and saw that Ophelia was standing.

“ _You okay?”_ Laura asked.

“Better than being in a kabob,” Ophelia replied with a smile.

“Lu, I think it’s time to go all out, don’t you think?” Shawn said, hefting his gun over his shoulder.

Laura nodded.

“Laura,” I whispered, she turned her head slightly, “Lydia, Robin, and one other is gone, and the entrance to the vault is open.”

She nodded.

“RUTH!” Kenny called, yellow eyes, “Get to the vault! Now!”

Ruth nodded and raced towards the vault entrance. Unfortunately, two of Hela’s minions stopped her. But Veronica and Shawn pounced on them.

“ _Go!_ We’ve got you covered.” Both their eyes yellow.

Hunter lumbered back through the hole in the wall.

A sting was starting to form in my right arm.

Laura gently placed a hand on my shoulder. I looked down at her. She shook her head.

 “This…”

_… Isn’t our fight? News flash! It is now! You are in_ no _condition to fight!_

I huffed. “Fine.”

Laura dashed after Hunter, Reese joining her. I watched as they danced around him. Laura jumped up and kicked Hunter across the face. When he glared back down at her, there was a large bloody gash across his face.

As the fighting raged around me, I heard the distinct sound of gears winding up. Ruth raised up from the floor, holding the Air Artifact, alone. A wave of relief crashed through me.

“NO!” I couldn’t tell who said it. I didn’t care. We had the Artifact.

Panting heavily, my muscles burning I felt my knees buckle under me. Before I could fall I felt someone catch me, and slowly lower me to the ground.

Pain started to thrum through my right arm as the adrenaline began to wear off.

“Oz! _Oz!”_ Crow called out to me. But he sounded far away.

“A… _Aurora!”_ I gasped, the pain starting to cloud my thoughts, “ _We have… to go to… Aurora!”_

“Easy! You need to calm down!” Crow called.

Black spots began to form in my field of vision, and everything started feeling fuzzy, and my head feeling light.

“I’m… I’m gonna…” I slurred.

_Hush now._ Whispered the voice in my head, which vaguely sounded like Laura. _I’ve got you. Relax._

That was the last thing I heard before everything went black.

 

I don’t know how long I was out. I know I was woken up several times in order to eat, but I hardly remember those times.

 

I was roused by the feeling of a cool cloth being pressed against my head.

Orange sunlight streamed in through the window, casting the room in a warm glow. My eyelids fluttered open and I was met by the image of Laura, being surrounded by a halo of orange light, pressing a damp cloth t my forehead. I was struck by how beautiful she was. How her brown eyes seemed to sparkle in the light, and how the light highlighted the few freckles she had around her cheekbones. Without a doubt, she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen in my whole existence. When she noticed I was awake, she smiled.

I felt my stomach clench almost painful at that smile.

“Laura, what…” I winced in pain as I tried to sit up. Pain through my right arm.

She gently pushed me back down.

“What happened?” I asked again.

“ _After Ruth recovered the Artifact, your adrenaline finally wore off and you passed out.”_

“Where am I?” I asked looking around the room. It didn’t look like any of the rooms from the house that Crow had been renting for the past month-and-a-half.

It had a desk by the window, a dresser in front of the bed I was laying on, and many, many books scattered around the room; and two nightstands on either side of the bed.

“ _You’re in my home. Kenny and I brought you here after you passed out, in order to take care of you,”_ she said once my gaze returned to her.

“And Leo?”

“Laura’s expression turned sympathetic.

_“Dead. When I found him.”_

“How?”

“ _A combination of strangulation and being stabbed around fifteen times.”_

_“_ Shit!” I cursed. Hela, no doubt.

Laura looked surprised.

“ _Whoever did it wanted him to suffer. I’m sorry, Oscar.”_

“What about my arm? What was wrong with it?” I asked wanting to change the subject.

“ _Your arm was broken in three different places, along with it being severely burned in several places, as well.”_

“And now?”

“ _Completely healed. Though it’ll be sore for a while.”_

_“_ How long was I out?”

_“Three days.”_

“Three days, huh? I thought it’d be more.”

Laura giggled, silently.

_“We all did, too. My Pack and I, that is. Thankfully you’re a lot tougher than you look.”_

I scoffed at that.

“I can say the same about you.”

She smiled. Again, I could feel my stomach clenching painfully.

“I am serious, Laura. Your arm, ribs, and skull were broken.”

She seemed amused by that.

“ _Remember, I have regenerative healing.”_

“Right.”

There was a knock on the door, and Crow poked his head in.

“Am I interrupting anything? I heard one side of a conversation, so I assumed you were awake.”

“No, you’re not. Laura, help me sit up?”

Laura nodded and gently helped me sit up, keeping weight off my right arm.

“How you feelin’, Oz?” he asked while pulling up the chair from the desk.

“Better. My arm hurts.”

Crow glanced at Laura. “Give us a minute?”

She nodded and left the room.

“You look better, Oz. You looked close to dying when Laura and Kenny left.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Arm bloodied, burned, and bruised. Ya looked like hell. Especially the first two days.”

“I don’t really remember much after I passed out.”

“Well, not much to tell. Laura or I would wake you up so you could eat, but that’s really it. Oh, Ruth ran into Whitney and Yasmin. So, they’ll be joining us.”

“That’s good.”

“Also… um… Laura apologizes for the tattoo.”

I looked at him, confused.

“What tattoo? She didn’t mention any tattoo.”

“Probably was embarrassed. Told me she didn’t mean to, and that she was sorry.”

“What are you talking about, Crow?”

He pointed to my right arm and said, “Take a look at your arm.”

I did, and my eyes widen. I pushed my sleeve up. All along my right arm was black inked lines with geometric shapes and lines.

“What is this?” I asked not quite believing what I was seeing.

“Laura and Kenny think it’s a side effect from both your magic and her Gift. They tried washing it off and using her Gift to remove it, but nothing worked.”

I turned my arm over, seeing that the tattoo spanned my entire arm, stopping at my wrist.

_This almost looks like Laura’s._

“It’s not the worst thing to have happened to me. I can live with it.”

“It is a pretty cool tattoo,” Crow commented. “Oh! Speaking of tattoos; Laura’s gotten a new one yesterday.”

“She did?” I asked wondering why he was bringing this up.

“Yeah. Didn’t you notice the big bandage on her left hip?”

“No. Why yesterday?”

Crow shrugged.

“Apparently she’d made the appointment about two weeks ago. And she didn’t want to cancel.”

“Alright. Why’d you bring this up?”

Crow shrugged.

“Where’s the Artifact?”

“Down in the living room.”

“Have you gotten into contact with Albertson?”

Crow shook his head.

“Not yet. But the good news is that Shawn was able to book us all train tickets to Aramus, then we’ll hop on a shuttle to Aurora.”

“That’s good. When does the train leave?”

“’Bout a week. Long enough for Laura and them to wrap up here.”

I nodded.

_A week._

“ _Uncle Croooooow!!!”_ Came Ruth’s shouting from downstairs.

Crow sighed.

“I should probably go check that.”


	11. Chapter 5: The Panic Attack

I watched people coming and going from the shuttle station as we all sat on benches waiting for the shuttle to arrive. It had been a long week-and-a-half, full on Laura and her Pack settling their rent for their home, and gathering supplies for the trip to the wintery country of Aurora, and a long train ride to Aramus.

Ruth and her friends were chatting away with each other, they were all excited to see Aurora. Though, Whitney and Yasmin weren’t too excited about returning to Aurora about going back.

“Look, I know you guys are worried about going back to Aurora, but we’ll keep you safe!” Ruth was telling the twins.

Whitney was about to say something when someone else spoke up.

“No need to be worried with us around.”

Everyone turned their heads to see who had spoken. Two obviously overconfident Slayers approached us with their weapons casually slung over their shoulders.

“Aaaand… you are?” asked an annoyed Veronica.

“Why we’re Jacob and Wilhelm! Mantle Shuttle-line Flight 23’s Slayers. We’ll be keeping everyone safe while traveling through Monster territory.” Said the one named Jacob.

Wilhelm’s eyes landed on Laura, who was sitting next to me.

“But, for a generous tip, we’ll keep the area _you’re_ in extra secure.” He began to reach for Laura, not knowing what came over me, and I grabbed his wrist before he could touch her.

“ _Hey!_ What’s your deal?!” he exclaimed wrenching his hand out of my grasp.

“Maybe,” said Ophelia’s calm voice from behind me, “you shouldn’t touch something that isn’t yours.” I saw Ophelia lean over the back of the benches.

“ _What?”_ Wilhelm said incredulously, “She your girlfriend or something?”

“Or something like that,” I replied seriously, narrowing my eyes at him.

I saw his Adam’s apple bob up and down at my territorial tone.

“Hey, idiots!” came Crow’s annoyed voice. He was frowning with his hands in his pockets, walking towards us. “Fuck off!” He stopped in front of Laura and me; “Looks like Mantle’s really scraping the bottom of the barrel.”

They looked furious at this comment.

“Hey! You know who you’re talking to! We’re….”

“Professional Slayers.” Finished Crow bored, showing them his Slayer license. “Now, I’m only gonna say this once more: fuck off! None of us need your protection. Least of all her.” He indicated Laura with a nod of his head.

“Whatever!” with that they left.

Suddenly, laughter irrupted from behind me, I turned to find Veronica, Shawn, Kenny, and Ophelia nearly doubled over in laughter.

“What’s so funny?” Crow asked.

“Those two!” laughed Veronica.

I turned back to Laura.

“You alright?”

She nodded.

“ _If I had a dime every time that happened, I’d be a millionaire.”_ She smiled.

“I apologize for that. I don’t know what came over me.” I said rubbing the back of my neck.

She shrugged. “ _I didn’t take offense to it.”_

“Passengers of Mantle Shuttle-line Flight 23, is now boarding.” Came the overhead mechanical voice.

“Everyone ready?” Crow asked grabbing his bag.

Everyone stood nodding that they were. As I stood slinging my bag over my shoulder, I felt the weight of the Artifact on my back. As we walked to the terminal, I couldn’t help but notice the stares and whispers that followed Laura; though you’d never know if she was listening to them, because her face remained passive. Another thing I noticed was that Yasmin and Whitney kept looking back at Laura and I, then whispering to each other. I hoped it was nothing.

 

“We’ll be here for about two weeks, it’s a long way to Aurora.” I was telling Ruth and John, after stowing away my stuff in my cabin.

“Well, Almer is a big planet,” Reese said.

“That it is.” Agreed John. “Let’s just hope no one gets cabin fever.”

We laughed at that.

“We’ll go check on the others, see how they’re settling in, c’mon Reese,” John said clapping Reese on the shoulder then turning around and heading in the direction of the others cabins.

“What was that about?” I turned and saw Ophelia poking her head out of her cabin.

“Nothing really. I was just telling John and Reese how long we’d be on the shuttle.”

She nodded. “How long will we be on the shuttle? The Pack and I don’t like confined spaces.”

“About two weeks. Will that be alright?”

Ophelia frowned. “I don’t know. It’ll probably be fine. I’m not entirely sure. Have you seen Laura? None of us can find her.”

Now it was my turn to frown.

“Not since I got on the shuttle. Why?”

Ophelia paused, almost hesitating.

“It could be nothing. But could you keep an eye out for her?”

I nodded. “If you don’t mind me saying: but she seems like a really private person. From the past week and a half, I’ve noticed she isolates herself a lot.”

Ophelia’s face fell. “Yes,” she said sadly, “she is.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye out for her.”

“Thank you, Oscar. Also, can I ask what Aurora is like?”

“You’ve never been?”

“A long time ago, but I barely remember it.”

“A long time ago? Well, it’s mostly snow all year round.”

“I do remember the snow. It was so white, it gave us all headaches.”

“It’s also the most technological advanced Kingdom of Almer. It’s the reason why we have all this.” I motioned around us. “And probably… never mind.”

Ophelia smiled sweetly and with compassion.

“And why my Pack and I are still alive?”

“Y-yes.”

Her smile widened.

“It’s okay to say it. We’re fine with it. Only Laura still has a problem with the past.” She sighed. “She never lets any of us in. She constantly pushes us away, shutting us out. Isolating herself. Why do you think she never lets anyone touch her?” She sighed again, looking sad. “Sorry! I’m rambling!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye out for her.”

“Thank you, again.”

With that, Ophelia went back into her room.

I started walking back to my room when I felt a tug in the back of my head. I was going to ignore it when it started getting stronger and stronger, and the feeling of panic started flooding through me. But, I could tell the panic wasn’t mine. My curiosity getting the better of me, I started following the pull, it led me to a near-deserted part of the shuttle. The closer I got to the source of the pull the stronger it got. As I got nearer, I started hearing fast breathing, like someone was hyperventilating.

“Laura?” I said as I turned a corner and found her in a corner in a ball. Her knees were pulled up to her chest, her shoulders hunched, with her head down.

She looked up when she heard my voice, and I saw that her eyes were red and puffy and there were tear stains on her cheeks. She was also shaking so bad that I thought she would seize up.

“Are you okay?” I asked as I slowly walked over to her, making sure I didn’t spook her.

She shook her head, no.

I held out my hands in front of me as I knelt in front of her.

“Laura, are you having a panic attack?” I asked slowly.

She nodded.

“Alright…” _shit! I need to get her to calm down._ “Can ask I what set you off?”

She just stared at me, shaking and breathing too fast.

“Can I sit next to you?” I asked slowly, still not touching her.

She nodded.

So I sat down next to her, but far away from her to make sure I wouldn’t be touching her.

“Can you do something for me?” I asked quietly.

She looked at me with fear and panic in her eyes.

“Can you try and breathe a little slower? I’m afraid that you’re going to pass out.”

I couldn’t tell if she was hearing anything of what I was saying. It didn’t really matter if she did. I just wanted her to know that she wasn’t alone. So I started talking.

I told her how I used to have panic attacks that I knew what it was like. I told her about anything that came to mind. I talked about Sanctuary, how I helped found all four of the main Monster Slaying Academies. I told Laura about the Artifacts, and what they did. Soon enough I noticed Laura’s breathing start to even out, but I didn’t stop talking until I knew that she was going to be alright. I’m sure how long we were there, me talking and her listening.

Finally, Laura stopped shaking and turned to me.

“… Are you better?” I asked stopping mid-story.

She nodded.

“Does this happen often?”

She nodded.

“And no one knows?”

She nodded.

“Why haven’t you told anyone?”

She shrugged; she tried signing something, but her hands were still shaking too much for me to make out anything of what she was saying, so she gave it up.

I slowly raised my hand to her head and stopped right before I got to her head, letting her stop me if she didn’t want me to touch her. When she didn’t make to stop me, I slowly placed my hand on her head. She flinched at the contact but still didn’t make to remove my hand. I slowly started combing my fingers through her honeyed hair. I never realized how soft her hair was until now. It cascaded through my fingers like water. Whenever I started back up at her scalp she’d flinch but never removed my hand from her head, so I kept running my fingers through her hair.

“Better?” I asked standing up and offering her my hand.

She nodded staring up at me in wonder, taking my hand.

I helped her up to her feet.

“You’ve never had someone touch you like that, have you?”

She shook her head, she looked ashamed. And now she wouldn’t meet my eyes.

“Hey,” I said trying to catch her eye, she almost shyly met my eyes again, I smiled; “you’ve got nothing to be ashamed of.”

She nodded.

“I want you to say that. ‘I have nothing to be ashamed of’.”

_“I… have… nothing… to be… ashamed… of.”_ She slowly signed with shaky hands.

I smiled again.

“Come on, Ophelia was worried about you.”

_Of course, she is. She’s like a momma bear, or chameleon, in her case._

Laura switched to telepathy because her hands were still shaking too much to sign.

“Yes, she does seem like the overprotective type.”

Laura silently laughed, as I led us back to where the others were.

_She means well. She and Kenny keep us functioning properly._

“And Veronica and Shawn?”

What would have been a burst of laughter, but was instead silent came from Laura.

_They just argue all the time. It’s quite funny._

“Really? I haven’t seen them argue.”

_Because they’ve been on their best behavior. Give them time._

“What do they argue about?”

She shrugged. _Any and everything, sometimes nothing. They butt heads a lot is all._

“And Kenny and Ophelia? Do they argue?”

_Well sure. Every couple does. Not as much as V and Shawn. No one argues as much as they do!_

“And what about you? Do you have a significant other?” I asked, genuinely wanting to know if she had someone who cared about her.

A strange look passed over her face, and she softly said _No, I don’t._

We were silent the rest of the way back after Laura put her hands in her pockets. A clear sign I’d come to learn meant she didn’t feel like talking.

 

“ _Laura!”_ Ophelia exclaimed when she saw us. She began to rush at Laura with her arms out but stopped just short of crushing Laura in a bear hug and let her arms fall. “Are you okay? I was worried.”

“ _I’m fine.”_ Laura signed.

“O-okay. You sure?”

“ _Yes.”_

“Alright. V and Shawn are arguing again. Mind helping me break them up before they start throwing things?”

Just then there was a loud crash followed by several curses, from a few doors down. Ophelia and Laura sighed.

“Never mind about the throwing things.”

Laura went off with Ophelia, but before she left she turned back to me.

“ _Thank you, for earlier.”_

“Of course. If you ever want someone to talk to, _please_ don’t hesitate to come to me. I’ll listen.”

She smiled softly and nodded.

“ _I will. Thank you.”_

Then she and Ophelia disappeared into Veronica and Shawn’s room.

 

“Where’d you disappear to?” asked Crow once I’d reentered our shared room.

“I found Laura having a panic attack. I couldn’t leave her.”

Crow’s eyes widened.

“We are talking about the same Laura, right?”

I couldn’t help the smirked that formed on my face.

“Yes, we are. She’s been through a lot. While she was panicking she let down her guard on her mind and I was able to get fragments of her thoughts.”

“Anything interesting?”

I chuckled.

“During a panic attack? Nothing coherent. Nothing that makes sense.”

“You know, ever since we met Laura, I’ve always noticed just how similar the two of you are.”

“How so?”

“Both of you are able to rally people around you, both of you are very old;” I laughed at that, “both of you have trust issues, you both have been through a lot, and so on.”

“Thanks for that,” I said turning my back to him as I rummaged through my bag.

“I am serious though! It’s like your two halves of the same person. Almost like you’re meant for each other.”

I froze when he said that. _Two… halves…_ It felt like I’d been hit by a truck. Everything was snapping into places. My undeniable attraction to Laura, the pull I felt to her, the way her powers reacted to me, the fire I felt whenever I touched her. _We’re Bonded. Shit!_

 


	12. Chapter 6: Betrayals and Discoveries

We’d been in the shuttle for about a week and a half, and everyone was starting to get a little irritable, myself included. I hadn’t told Laura that I knew we were Bonded. Because I didn’t know her that well, and I didn’t know if this attempt to stop Hela would end up a failure like all the others; and mostly because I didn’t want to get too attached. Even if we did defeat Hela, that didn’t mean that anything could change. I could still be cursed, forced to reincarnate after each death. I’ve fallen in love before, and once I’d reincarnated and to be apart from them was horrible. To be without a Bonded would be a thousand times worse.

Speaking of Laura, I’ve noticed her and Yasmin getting into more and more arguments. Yasmin kept asking more and more difficult questions about both Laura and me. She wanted to know more about our past that neither of us was willing to tell. Or wanting to know what the Artifacts did. I tried answering some of her questions, but some were way too personal. The same with Laura. Then Yasmin would get furious, start yelling and storming off if we didn’t answer all of her questions. Honestly, she and the other students, excluding Reese, we're starting to act like spoiled children. I understand they’re curious and want answers, but I’ve only known them for a year and a half. It was exhausting, trying to keep them at bay. Laura and I had taken to hiding for hours in her cabin.

 

The light streamed into the cabin from the window. I opened my eyes and shot straight up. My entire room was _trashed._ Clothes thrown everywhere, draws pulled out and their contents everywhere. I scrambled out of bed and searched for the one thing I _prayed_ was not missing.

“ _Fuck!”_ The Artifact was missing.

I quickly pulled on some clothes, and raced out of my cabin, and ran right into Laura.

“The Artifact is missing,” I told her quickly, “my cabin was trashed when I woke up.”

“ _Mine too.”_

“Shit! We have to find it! Shit, shit, shit, shit!”

“ _We’ll find it!”_

 

“ _Crow!”_ I called as Laura and I raced into our assigned eating area. “The Artifact is missing!” I whispered once I got closer.

“ _WHAT?!”_ He yelled standing up, drawing the attention of the students and the Pack.

“Our cabin was trashed when I woke up and it was missing. Laura’s room was ransacked as well.”

“What? It wasn’t like that when I got up this morning. The only ones I saw go that way was…”

“Me.”

All three of us turned and saw Yasmin holding the Artifact in front of her.

“Yasmin, give that back to me, _please!”_ I pleaded.

She looked at me with a mixture of hatred and disgust.

“And why should I do that? So you can keep lying to us?”

“Yasmin, what did you do?” asked Crow.

“I was tired of all the lies and half-truths.”

“You didn’t!” I asked horrified.

“I did! So why don’t you tell everyone what you did!”

I could feel the blood drain from me, my heart stop, and an all-consuming horror fills me.

“What about your lie about Leo?”

“What about it?”

“You decided not to tell Mantle about how Leo is a Slayer killer and that he worked for the people who destroyed Sanctuary! Because you thought it was the safer option?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, it is! I believed Mantle deserved better than the truth. And I believe that Leonardo deserved to be remembered for his _lifetime_ of service, and not the unfortunate missteps he made in his last few years of life.”

“Missteps? You call trying to kill you a _‘misstep’?”_

“What Leo did is reprehensible. I’m not trying to argue differently, but why should one lapse in judgment negate all of the good he did. We all have regrets. We’ve all made mistakes!”

“We wouldn’t have betrayed you if you’d just answered our questions and trusted us!”

“You don’t think you’re the first to have said that to me?” I snapped.

“ _What do you mean ‘we’?”_

Yasmin turned her gaze to Laura.

“And you’re no better than him! No, I think you’re worse than him!”

Laura’s eyes widened, and her jaw dropped, her eyes turned yellow.

“Both of you! Why should we trust either of you?!” Yasmin screamed.

“What is she talking about?” John asked.

“Tell them! Tell them what you _both_ have done!”

“Yasmin, I…” before I could finish the Artifact was surrounded by a yellow mist and wrenched from her hands and flew into Laura’s, who looked furious and ready to kill.

_You don’t get to stand there lecturing us about trust when you just betrayed us both!_ Came Laura’s steely calm voice in my head, and I knew the others would be able to hear it as well. _You think just because you had a ‘shitty’ life that means that you can take your shit and dump it on me?! You don’t get to do that! So you take your goddamn pain and live with it, asshole! You think you're the only ones with pain?! Well, welcome to the goddamn club!_

_I spent my life in pain and misery. I have been sold like a broodmare. I've been chained and betrayed, raped and defiled. Do you know what kept me standing through all those years in captivity? Faith. Not in any gods, not in myths and legends. In myself._

_Every night is a hellscape of flashbacks and nightmares leaving me fucked up for days. You think I like feeling nothing but pain and emptiness?! I just want to feel something besides nothing and pain! Anything!  But I can’t! Why?! Because they took everything from me! They took away my ability to feel anything! They took away my ability to speak! I want that back! But I’ll never have that back!! I want those years of my life back. But I will never get them back._

_I will never know what it was like to feel safe and loved! I’ll never know what it was like to have a childhood! I never had one! They took that from me! I can’t even be touched by the ones I care the most about without expecting pain!_

_I hate how I always expect to be hurt or tortured whenever I’m touched by someone! Why do you think I never let anyone ever touch me?! I hate how when I look at the color white, I automatically think of pain, torment, and suffering. I hate how my body freezes up whenever someone bumps into me! I hate how I can’t feel normal emotions like most people, or being able to say ‘hello’. Or knowing what being happy is like. I don’t know what that’s like. Or being able to trust people. To be able to relate to them! The only thing I am good at is killing! And I hate that! I hate how for 120 years I was almost tormented daily! Whether it was physically, mentally, emotionally, or sexually, I was put through a living hell! So excuse me for not telling all that to people I’ve only known for about a month!_

_I hate how I’m constantly reminded of all the sins I’ve committed! How for years I never had full control over my body. Do you know what that’s like?! Having to watch yourself murder hundreds of innocent people, simply because the highest bidder had some kind of beef against them?! Women, children, babies, it didn’t fucking matter! I had to sit in the passenger seat, and watch myself murder them! I can remember every one of their faces! Their looks of terror, and pleas and begging for me to stop! For me to spare their children, or their wives, or husbands! Every night I relive those horrific moments over and over again! Every. Single. Fucking. Night!_

_So you think you’ve had it rough?! I beg to differ! You don’t even know the meaning of hardships! So you don’t get to go demanding to know all the secrets from myself or Oscar! You are acting like a child! And because of that, you don’t deserve to know anything about either of us!  And if you even think about pulling another stunt like this again, I’ll kill you myself and not think twice about it._

When Laura had finished I saw that her Pack members had misty eyes, and everyone else, myself included, was in stunned silence. I had no idea her pain ran that deep. Yasmin at least had the decency to look ashamed.

“That’s horrible what happened to you,” Yasmin said meekly. “But that doesn’t excuse what you and Oscar have done by keeping so many secrets.”

Laura’s face went from shocked to furious in a matter of seconds, and a giant cloud of yellow energy erupted from her and sent shockwaves through the shuttle causing it to shake.

_Have you listened to nothing I just said?! You’ve listened to nothing I’ve said! You’re all spoiled children! Throwing a tantrum because you don’t get what you want! Well, news flash! That’s not how the fucking world works! The world doesn’t care if you don’t have everything you want! The world doesn’t care if you’re scared, hungry, and alone!_

_I want all of you out of here! OUT!_

The students scrambled to get out of the room.

Laura was panting and seething with rage.

“Lulu,” whispered Veronica. “I-is all that true? Did you really go through all that?” she sounded of the verge of tears.

Laura’s shoulders slumped and she nodded.

There was a collective intake of breath from her Pack.

“W-why didn’t you ever tell us?” asked a teary-eyed Shawn.

_We’re not doing this right now._

She turned to face me, and I had to fight the urge to wrap her in my arms and protect her from the rest of the world. She handed me back the Artifact.

I looked down at it then at her.

“Thank you.” Then I looked at the others around me. “Do any of you have any questions?”

“No. I trust you, Oz,” said Crow.

“And you?” I asked turning to the others.

“I do have one question,” said Shawn, furiously wiping his eyes. “Who is it that we’re all going up against? Besides Hela. Who were those people at Oase?”

I felt a wave of relief at the question. A simple one.

“Those were some of Hela’s underlings. I’m not sure how many she really has but I know of four main underlings. Their names are Hunter and Lydia, which you met at Oase; and Tyrone and Doctor Bates.”

After I mentioned Doctor Bates, the energy in the room changed. It became electrified.

“D-doctor B-Bates?” asked Kenny, looking like he’d seen a ghost.

“Yes?”

Kenny swallowed.

“I-is he tall, t-tan, g-graying hair, and two scars running down the left side of his face?” asked Veronica.

“Yes.”

They all paled, Laura nearly collapsed.

“What’s wrong?” Crow asked helping Laura back to her feet.

“Doctor B-Bates was the head scientist of the Weapon Hybrid Project when we escaped.”

My face went slack with shock.

“What?” Crow voiced my question.

“Trust us. We should know. Laura’s the one that gave him that scar.”

I looked at Laura, who nodded.

“Shit!” said Crow. “I knew he was a low life, but… _that…_ to _children!_ ”

“Can we please change the subject?” begged Ophelia.

“Yes, we can,” I said snapping out of my stupor.

“What are you going to do about Yasmin and the others?” Veronica asked getting right to the point.

“I… I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know?” asked Ophelia not unkindly more worried. “They betrayed both yours _and_ Laura trust, by using the Artifact! Whatever it does, and honestly I don’t care what it does!”

“I hate to say that she’s right Oz. Even with my own niece in this.” Said Crow.

I really didn’t know what to do. I turned to Laura. I looked at her pleadingly.

“ _If I’m honest, I think you shouldn’t let them come any farther with us. They’ve proven themselves untrustworthy.”_

“All of them?”

She nodded.

“ _I saw inside their minds. All had a part in this. Though the full blame lies with Yasmin. None of the others know about our past, only her. But they all helped ransack both our rooms while we were asleep.”_

“I think she’s right, Oz,” Crow said after Kenny was finished translating. “How can we trust them after this? They’ve betrayed everyone in this room. How can we come back from this? Both you and Laura already have trust issues.”

I sighed defeated.

“You’re right. I just… can’t believe they’d do this. They all had such promise when they started at Sanctuary.”

“The pressure gets to people,” offered Kenny.

“Believe me, I know.”

“There are only two days left until we get to Aurora. We can buy them shuttle tickets back to their homes, and leave it at that,” offered Ophelia. “The choice is yours, Oscar.”

“I suppose that’s our best option.”

 

* * *

 

“I still can’t believe you’re not letting us go with you!” said an incredulous Yasmin as she and the others boarded another shuttle.

“You’re joking, right?” asked an irritated Shawn.

“Need we remind you of what you did?” asked Ophelia.

“So now none of you trust us?” she asked somehow _still_ not getting the point. Why did I even let her into my academy in the first place?

Yellow mist surrounded Yasmin and the door, Yasmin was shoved into the shuttle then the door slammed shut and locked.

I turned to Laura and smiled. “Thank you, Laura.”

Her eyes changed back to brown and she smiled too, showing off her sharp canines.

“ _You can call me Lu. I don’t mind.”_ She said as we were walking back to our stuff.

“You can call me Oz then.”

She nodded.

“So,” said Shawn, “where to now?”

“Now,” replied Crow picking up his bag and weapon and slinging them over his shoulder, “we go to Speara, where Zima Academy is.”

“And how far away is that?”

“About eleven hundred miles northeast of here,” I said.

Shawn looked like he got hit in the face with a brick.

“You’re joking, right?”

I smiled sympathetically at him.

“I’m afraid not.”

“Don’t tell me: more confide spaces?”

“Afraid so.”

Shawn groaned.

“Oh, quit whining!” scolded Veronica.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” said a sarcastic Shawn, “but last time _I_ checked, you’re not part _bird!”_

“So?”

“Soooo… birds like being out in the open not confide spaces!”

“Whatever, we _all_ don’t like confide spaces! Especially Lulu! You don’t hear her complain.”

As they continued to argue, I leaned over to Laura and whispered, “I see what you mean, now.”

Her shoulders shook in silent laughter. She tapped Kenny on the shoulder.

“ _You wanna go?!”_ Veronica was saying.

“Bikes rakes after school!”

“Alright ladies,” Kenny said pushing them apart, “that’s enough.”

 “Can we go now?” asked Ophelia.

“Yes,” I said laughing despite myself. “We can get a hotel room for now. Then we can go to Speara in a few days.”

“Fine,” Shawn said begrudgingly.

 

* * *

 

We ended up having to get three cabs. Shawn, Ophelia, and Crow in the first, Kenny and Veronica and the Artifact in the second, and Laura and I in the last.

Ever since her outburst at Yasmin, she and I had been getting much closer. I still hadn’t told her that I knew. But since getting to know her, I was starting to agree with Crow, we were made for each other. Laura had started smiling more, letting her guard down some. She was still skittish and didn’t like people touching her, but she was talking more.

I felt my phone buzz, the same time Laura’s did. I pulled mine out and saw a message from Crow. He and Ophelia and Shawn wanted to go out drinking tonight.

“What’s yours say?” I asked looking over at her.

She showed me her phone. It was from Veronica, saying the same thing.

“Do you want to go out? I don’t care.”

She shrugged. “ _I don’t like crowds. But I suppose it would be nice to unwind a little. We’ve all been trapped in that shuttle for two weeks. Plus with all that stuff with Yasmin…”_

“You have a point. It wouldn’t hurt to go out.”

“ _So we’re in agreement?”_

“Yes, we are. But hotel first, so we can dump our stuff there.”

 Laura nodded. “ _What about the Artifact?”_

“It should be fine. I don’t like the idea of leaving it alone, but I can’t very well take it with me.”

“ _Shouldn’t there be a safe in the hotel room? Could you hide it there?”_

“Yes, I could. I’d also like to try and contact Albertson before we leave since we’re now in Aurora.”

“ _Albertson?”_

“Albertson is the Headmaster of Zima Academy. He’s also one of my lieutenants… or at least I _hope_ he is. We didn’t exactly part on good terms the last time we saw each other.”

“ _When was that?”_

“During the Peace Festival. Before the Fall of Sanctuary.”

“ _I… I have a bit of a confession to make.”_

I arched an eyebrow.

_“My Pack and I were there… during the Fall of Sanctuary. We’d decided to take a little vacation and go watch the Peace Festival.”_

“I see…” I said not really knowing what to say.

“ _You used to be Sanctuary’s Headmaster, right?”_

I nodded. “Yes, I was.”

Laura smiled, showing her canines.

“ _I knew it!”_ she said excitedly, “ _When we first found out who you were, I told V that I thought you were Sanctuary’s former Headmaster! Now I can tell her ‘I told you so!’”_

She giggled silently, and for the first time Laura looked and acted her age, 17.

I smiled fondly at her. _I am so screwed._

_“I actually ran into you several times while we were there. But you probably didn’t know it was me.”_

“We did? Small world, I guess.”

Again Laura silently giggled.

_“I always wore a black hoodie, a mask, and gloves back then. Anyway, I remember this one time where I was walking around Sanctuary, not really paying attention to where I was going, just wandering around, daydreaming really. When I collided into someone, full force, and I knocked myself to the ground, the person I ran into just stumbled back a few steps._

_“Anyway, I was ready to rip into the person I ran into for not watching where they were going a little hypocritical, I know, but I hadn’t been in the best mood that day. When a hand comes into view. I look up and I’m met with a silver-haired and hazel eyed man, offering to help me up from the ground. I’ll admit I honestly didn’t know what to do, so I just sat there on the ground, staring blankly at this guy’s hand for a good ten or fifteen seconds. Until, stupidly, I realized that he was wanting to help me up.”_

I smiled fondly at the memory.

“Yes, I remember that. But I remember it a bit differently.”

“ _Oh, and how do_ you _remember it?”_

“I remember walking with a few of my colleagues, discussing how the term was going, when I felt someone collide with me. When I looked down and I saw a girl, no older than 16 or 17, on the ground. The hood she’d been wearing had been knocked off in the collision, revealing her honeyed brown hair, unfortunately, she wore a mask on the lower half of her face, so I couldn’t see the rest of her beautiful face. But I _could_ see her pretty eyes.” Laura elbowed me.

“Anyway, I offered her my hand to help her up, and she just sat there, staring at it. I remember how she had this confused look in her eyes like she couldn’t for the life of her figure out what I was trying to do. Then after several seconds, it seemed to click with her on what I was trying to do.

“She reached out with a gloved hand and took mine. I pulled her to her feet, she quickly pulled her hood back on and ran off in a different direction.”

“ _I did not run!”_ Laura said incredulously.

“You ran. You definitely ran.”

“ _Walked quickly.”_

“Sprinted fearfully.”

“ _I was in a hurry.”_

“For _what?”_

“We’re here.”

We both jumped, and tore ourselves away from each other not from each other not realizing how close we’d gotten to each other; we’d completely forgot about the cab driver.

We had, in fact, made it to the hotel. Laura and I quickly made our way out of the cab, I paid the driver and Laura got our bags from the trunk.

“Hey man,” the driver motioned for me to come closer.

“Yes?” I asked leaning down.

“Your girlfriend is smoking hot.”

I felt one of my eyes twitch in irritation.

“Thanks,” I said dryly not bothering to correct him.

“Where’d you find her?”

“She found me.”

Laura handed me my bag and we walked up to the hotel. I held open the door for Laura.

“ _Thank you.”_

“You’re welcome.”

We found the others at the check-in desk.

“Hey, guys!” Veronica greeted handing me back the Artifact. “Crow’s getting us all rooms.”

“Who’s staying with who?”

“The couples have their own rooms, and you, Lulu and Crow will have your own rooms.”

Laura and I nodded.

“Oh, and Shawn’s wanting to _walk_ to Speara. I say we let ‘im.”

Laura rolled her eyes.

“ _Enough V. You know our rules.”_

“Yeah, yeah, I know. ‘Leave no Pack Members behind.’ But he’s complaining _soooo_ much!”

Laura chuckled silently.

“ _I think a night out of drinking and dancing will do us some good.”_

Veronica’s face brightened at that.

“Really?!”

 I nodded.

 “We both agreed that a night out to unwind would do us all some good,” I said.

Veronica grinned widely and for a second I thought she was going to crush Laura in a hug, but she restrained herself.

“Oh, yay!”

“But I do have a few things Crow and I need to do before we go out.”

Veronica nodded enthusiastically.

“So, you’re saying that we can all go get shitfaced?”

Laura and I laughed.

“For lack of better words, yes.”

“Well… you and Crow can get shitfaced. All of our metabolisms are too high for us to get drunk.”

“Oz,” Crow said walking up to me holding a couple of key cards.

He handed one set to Laura and another set to me.

“I managed to get us all on the same floor,” he said.

I nodded putting the cards in my pocket.

“Crow, guess what?” Veronica said excitedly.

Crow turned to Veronica, eyebrows raised.

“What?”

“We can go out drinking, tonight!”

Crow gave a crooked grin.

“But before we go anywhere, you and I have a few things to take care of.”

He nodded.

The seven of us made our way to the elevator, we ended up having to make two trips.

“So what are these things we have to do?” Crow asked after walking into my room after he had put his stuff away.

“I want to try and get a hold of Albertson. And since he wouldn’t know this appearance, I need you to make the call.” I said putting away the Artifact in the safe.

He nodded.

“I see. You sure that’s a good idea? I mean, the two of you didn’t exactly leave on good terms the last time you two saw each other.”

I smiled wryly.

“Yes, Lu expressed the same concerns.”

“Wait, _Lu?_ Since when have you two been so close?”

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Earlier today she told me I could call her Lu. And if you didn’t notice, ever since the incident with Yasmin, she and I would lock ourselves in her room for hours on end, to have privacy.”

“Have you told her that you know?”

That wiped the smile off my face.

“No. I haven’t. And at this point in time, I don’t plan too.”

“’At this point in time?’” Crow asked. “So do you plan on telling her at some point?”

“Yes. _No._ I don’t know!” I groaned, walked over to the bed and sat heavily down on it. I put my head in my hands and wracked my fingers through my hair in frustration.

I felt the bed dip beside me and knew Crow had sat down.

“Why _now?_ Why _now_ of all times? Why would they do this? Haven’t I done enough? Hasn’t _Laura_ been through enough? I mean, fucking hell! Raped, tortured, and manipulated for a hundred and twenty years!”

“Yeah,” Crow said slowly, “no wonder she has issues.”

I groaned again, and lifted up my right sleeve and stared at my tattoo that she’d given me on accident.

“Do you… never mind.”

I looked over at Crow.

“What?”

“No, it doesn’t matter. Not important.”

“What it is, Crow?”

He took a deep breath like he was trying to psych himself up for something.

“Do you really think it’s a _bad_ thing that the two of you found each other?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean… uhh… since the two of you met, Laura’s come out of her shell a lot and you have too, though mostly not by choice.”

I laughed humorlessly.

“But I am serious, Oz. The two of you could be good for each other.”

“I don’t know, Crow,” I said sighing, running my fingers through my hair.

“It’s something to think about, Oz. Want me to still call, Albertson?” he asked changing the subject.

I cleared my throat.

“Yes, I do,” I said straightening up.

“Alright.”

Crow stood up and placed his phone on the comms center. It lit up and he typed out a few things and the screen came up.

It took only a few moments for Albertson to appear.

“Crow, what a surprise. I’ve just got your letter.”

“Have you?”

“Yes, and the Water Artifact is safe.”

“Good. We’re still going to be coming to Zima to make absolutely sure it is.”

“Yes, you addressed this in your letter. You also said you found Oz?”

“Yes, that…” Crow turned to me and motioned with his head for me to come forward, “first I need to know if you’re still loyal to Oscar.” he said turning back to Albertson.

“Of course I am. We might have had our disagreements, but my loyalty remains with him.”

I felt a wave of relief wash over me and knew Crow felt it too, by the way, his shoulders sagged. Albertson was many things, but a liar wasn’t one of them. His years of being in the Aurian Military had seen to that.

I finally walked into view of the screen.

“Who is this?” Albertson asked looking at Crow.

“It’s been a minute hasn’t it, Albert?” I said.

Albertson looked confused.

“How long has it been since the Fall of Sanctuary? Eight, nine months?” Crow asked. I knew Crow was simply messing with Albertson, they’d never really gotten along.

“Crow, that’s enough.”

“Yeah, alright, Oz. Take my fun away.”

Realization dawned on Albertson’s face.

“Oscar?”

I nodded.

“Well… that’s a new look.” Albertson said almost like he didn’t know what to say.

I chuckled.

“I hate to cut this reunion short,” interrupted Crow.

“No, you don’t,” I said.

“No, I don’t.”

“Yes, right. The reason you called?”

“Has anyone that works for Hela approached you?” I asked.

Albertson looked shocked and slightly offended that I suggested it.

“No! Not at all!”

“Is all your staff at the Academy?”

“All that isn’t out on an assignment, yes.”

I nodded.

“Good.”

Good, Albertson was still listening to all of my instructions.

“Are you having any problems at all?” Crow asked.

Albertson shook his head.

“No, other than Otto Wagner riding my ass about closing the borders. Which is crushing his business.”

“Well, Otto Wagner has always had a stick up his ass,” Crow commented.

We all laughed and agreed on that.

“When can I expect you in Speara?”

“Few days, maybe a week at most.”

Albertson nodded and ended the call.

“Well,” Crow said turning to me, “that was a relief.”

“Yes, it is.”

“Now, back to Laura.”

I sighed and looked up at the ceiling then back at Crow, who was smirking.

“I’m kidding. Will you be joining us tonight?”

I shrugged. I’d never been much of a drinker or a partner.

“Laura will be going.”

I narrowed my eyes at him.

 

“C’mon Lulu, come dance with me!” Veronica said tugging fruitlessly at Laura’s arms, trying desperately to get her on the dance floor.

For what seemed like the hundredth time, Laura pulled her hands from Veronica's grasp and backed up into me.

Veronica pouted and went back to the dance floor.

“Don’t like dancing?” I asked.

She nodded taking a seat on one of the bar stools next to me.

I couldn’t help but notice the tight black leather pants she wore, that you could see nearly every muscle in her legs. I quickly looked away before she noticed me looking.

Crow’s words echoed through my mind as she looked at me.

I swallowed harshly.

“D-do you want anything?”

“ _Just a beer.”_

I got the bartender’s attention and ordered two beers.

I ordered one for me mostly to help calm my nerves.

“ _I thought you said you didn’t drink?”_ Laura asked after she took a drink.

“I don’t drink often,” I confirmed.

“ _When we first escaped, for a little while I tried drowning myself in alcohol. Didn’t work through my stupid metabolism is too high, so I gave it up.”_

I rubbed her back, she flinched but didn’t push me away.

“I’m sorry, Lu. I really am.”

“ _It’s fine. Well… it’s not_ fine. _But I’ve gotten used to it. Sort of.”_

I frowned.

I didn’t know what came over me, but I slowly leaned down and pressed my lips to her temple. This time she didn’t flinch.

“Can I ask you something?” I asked after I straightened back up.

“ _Depends on the ‘something’.”_

“I’ve noticed how Veronica always calls you: Lulu, but the others call you: Lu. Why is that?”

“ _Oh! That! It’s just a nickname she came up with.”_

“You don’t really seem to like being called Lulu.”

“ _No, I don’t.”_ She agreed.

“Then why keep letting her call you that?”

Laura shrugged.

_“You know, at first I would tell her not to call me that, but she would just keep calling me Lulu so I eventually…”_

“… got used to it?” I finished.

She paused for a moment pretending to think.

“ _No. I just eventually gave up on telling her to stop.”_

I chuckled.

“ _So,”_ she said after taking a drink, “ _did you ever get to talk to Albertson?”_

“Yes, I did.”

“ _And?”_

“And what?”

She just gave me a look.

I laughed.

“Good news is, is that he’s still loyal, and the Artifact is safe.”

“ _That’s wonderful! You don’t seem very confident.”_

“Yes, well,” I said setting the empty beer bottle, “the last time I thought someone was loyal to me, they ended up betraying me.”

“ _I’m sorry.”_

I huffed.

“It’s fine. It wasn’t your fault.”

_“Did you two talk about anything else?”_

“No, really the only other thing he mentioned Otto Wagner riding his ass about him closing the trade borders.”

“ _Wait! Otto Wagner? The guy that uses Hybrid labor?”_

“Yes, unfortunately.”

The bartender set down a margarita in front of Laura.

“She didn’t order that.” I translated.

The bartender pointed to a man a little way down the bar. The guy smiled at Laura, and I felt something start to boil in the pit of my stomach.

I felt a tap on my shoulder turning my attention back to Laura.

“ _Tell the bartender I don’t want it. Send it back.”_

I turned to the bartender, who still stood in front of us.

“She doesn’t want it. Send it back.”

He nodded and took the drink.

“ _What time is it?”_ Laura asked suddenly half-an-hour later.

I looked down at my watch.

“About ten o’clock.”

_Wow, we’d been there for two hours._

Laura started scratching at her left forearm.

“ _Could you take me back to the hotel?”_

I nodded.

“Getting uncomfortable?”

She nodded.

“Alright, let me go find Crow and him we’re leaving.”

She nodded.

It took me only a few minutes to find him.

“I’m taking Laura back to the hotel,” I yelled into his ear, “remember to be back by two a.m.”

After making sure he’d heard me, I made my way back to Laura.

“Ready?”

She nodded.

“ _I let my Pack know we were leaving.”_

“How did you… never mind, stupid question.”

She giggled silently at my blunder.

We caught a cab back to the hotel (this driver didn’t say anything about Laura.)

After I’d changed out of the clothes I’d worn to the club and into something else I heard a knock on my door. I opened it and found Laura standing in the doorway, wearing shorts, a tank top and barefoot.

“ _Hi. Can I come in?”_

I nodded and stood aside for her to come in.

“ _I thought… well, I was wondering if it’d be alright if I stayed with you until the others get back.”_

I nodded.

“That’d be fine.”

“ _The walls in my room are white,”_ she shuddered, “ _I hate white walls. Actually, I just hate the color white.”_

“You’re more than welcome to stay here.”

And so she did, and we started talking, about anything really until Laura suddenly asked, “ _Do you not like dancing? Tonight you never got out and danced. I know the reason I didn’t, and that’s because I didn’t want so many people around me.”_

I chuckled.

“I don’t mind dancing. I don’t care for _that_ kind of dancing.”

“ _What kind of dancing do you like?”_

“Slower, more intimate.”

“ _Really?”_ she pulled out her phone and handed it to me, “ _I want to dance with you.”_

I glanced at her before scrolling through her music playlist until one caught my eye. ‘My Happy Playlist.’

I set the phone on a table, pushed play and immediately started laughing. The playlist was full of hilarious songs.

I turned to Laura, grinning.

“You listen to these when you’re happy?”

She nodded, grinning and giggling silently.

She held out her hand for me to take.

I couldn’t help the grin widening into a smile as I pulled her closer.

Honestly, there was barely any rhyme or reason to our dancing as we kept laughing and bumping into furniture. But neither of us cared, we were having fun.

Every once in a while Lu would start mouthing along with the lyrics, which somehow made it so much funnier than it already was.

As I stared into her happy chocolate brown eyes, looking so happy as we swayed to the ridiculous music (happier than I’d ever seen her). I found myself (for the second time that night) leaning slowly down. Laura’s smile never vanished or wavered as I leaned down, nor did she move away. Gently I brushed my lips against hers, giving Lu away out if she wanted it. She still didn’t move away. Still being gentle, I pressed my lips to hers.

Everything fell away as she returned the kiss. I let go of her hand and wrapped it around her back, pulling her close; while her arms came up to wrap around my neck.

What felt like mere seconds we were pulling apart for air. I rested my forehead against hers, drinking her in.

Part of me _hated_ myself for kissing her, while another part of me didn’t care, and _that_ part was winning.

Lu leaned up on her toes and pressed another quick kiss to my lips.

“Lu… I…”

_Are what? Sorry?_

“Well… no, not really. Lu, I… know… about the Bond.”

She nodded not surprised.

_I know you do._

“How?”

She gave me a look.

_You’re not stupid, Oz. I knew you’d figure it out eventually._

“Yes, but…” she kissed me before I could finish, effectively shutting me up.

And I was happy to let her shut me up.


	13. Chapter 7: The Piano

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oscar hears Laura play the piano for the first time

That night I dreamed. It wasn’t really a dream, more like a memory. One of Lu’s. Similar to the one on the first day we met. Except, this time I wasn’t seeing it from Laura’s point of view.

_It was early pitch black outside. I looked around and saw a large house a few yards away with all its lights off. Next to me sat Laura on a fallen branch. She looked much younger, maybe (physically) around six. I could pick out several of her features that hadn’t fully developed yet. Like her cheekbones weren’t as defined as they would one day be, nor was her hair the same honeyed brown that I’d come to know, it was more of a darker brown. She sat overlooking a city in the distance, she seemed to be thinking intently about something._

_“Twenty-three!”_

_We both turned to see who’d called Laura. I was struck by what I saw. I saw Laura’s Pack, only much younger. Kenny (being the oldest) looked around 13, Shawn and Veronica looked to be about 10, and Ophelia looked around 11. All of them covered in blood._

_“Twenty-three, we just finished. Should we start clean up?” asked Kenny._

_She turned back to the city. “No, we’re not expected back for another few hours. We don’t have to clean up yet.” She said. Laura actually_ spoke! _I drank in the sound of her voice._

_“Twenty-three,” asked Ophelia._

_“Yes, Eight?” Laura asked._

_“Are you all right?”_

_Laura sighed and chuckled dryly._

_“Of course I’m not alright! How can I be?” she said sharply turning back to her Pack who all flinched, as if physically struck, at her tone. “There has to be more than_ this,” _she gestured around her, “There has to be more than just pain, torture, and killing!”_

_“Of course there is!” said Shawn, “it just isn’t meant for us, Twenty-three.”_

_Laura snarled._

_“Well, I don’t believe it.” She said turning back to the city. “Do all of you really want to live like this forever? Never knowing how much time has passed whenever we’ve woken up, or not knowing where we are?”_

_“Of course we don’t! But Twenty-three…” said Veronica._

_“I think…” Laura cut off, “I think… I’ve come up with a plan to escape.”_

_There was a collective intake of breath._

_“What do you mean, Twenty-three?” asked Kenny._

_“I mean, Thirteen, that hopefully, I can get us all our freedom one day.”_

_The others exchanged skeptical looks._

_“Think about it! No more white walls! No more pain! No more manipulation! No more torture! No more needless killing! No more numbers! We could have our own_ names! _We could be free to do whatever we wanted! We could go to sleep and wake up and know the day and the year! We could see the sun! Think about it guys!”_

_They all looked skeptical, scared, and hopeful._

_“What happens if your plan fails” asked Veronica._

_“It won’t, Eleven. When have you ever known me to fail?”_

_“Never.” Answered Shawn._

_“Exactly, Seventeen. My plan won’t fail.”_

 

I woke up the next morning with sunlight streaming in through the crack in the curtains.

I dressed quickly and made my way downstairs.

I was first met by the sound of someone playing the piano, as I stepped off the elevator; then I was met by the image of Crow, lying face down on a table with a glass of water in front of him.

“Crow,” I whispered after making myself a coffee.

He jerked his head up and squinted at me.

“Oz?” he asked quietly.

I nodded.

He laid his head back down with a groan.

“How are you this morning?” I asked taking a drink of my coffee.

He made a sound somewhere between a whimper and a groan.

“Where’re the others?”

He pointed vaguely in the direction of where the piano music was coming from.

I found four of Lu’s Pack mates standing frozen, wide-eyed and slack-jawed, staring at the piano.

I followed their gaze and saw Lu sitting at the piano, playing.

I left the stunned Hybrids and walked over to Laura.

“Can I sit with you?”

She turned her head, not even missing a note while playing, and smiled up at me, nodding.

Lu turned her attention back to the piano and scooted over a little for me.

I sat down next to her and watched as her fingers danced over the keys. She was good. She was _very_ good.

When I looked back up, Lu was looking at me with the biggest smile on her face, showing her canines. I didn’t even try and resist the urge to kiss her. She still didn’t miss a single note.

“You told me you could play the piano. You never said you were _this_ good at it.” I commented after kissing her again.

Her smile brightened (if that was possible), and she turned back to the piano.

I glanced back and saw her Pack still stood there frozen.

“You have a bit of an audience.”

Lu glanced back and smiled. She probably would’ve waved if her hands weren’t already occupied.

I set my now empty coffee cup on the ground next to me and watched.

“Hey, I know this song! I’ve heard it before. A long time ago.”

Lu looked at me, smiling, and kissed me.

She played a few more songs before stopping.

Her Pack took this time to finally unfreeze.

Lu was nearly crushed by the eight sets of arms pulling her into a hug. Lu quickly scrambled out of their grasp, backing up into me.

“Lulu,” said a teary-eyed Veronica, “you’re playing the piano again!”

“We thought you’d given it up!” said an equally teary-eyed Shawn.

The others nodded.

Lu shook her head, smiling softly.

“ _No, I never gave it up. I just… I don’t know… saw no reason to play.”_

I remembered hearing her voice in my dream last night, and wrapped my arms around her waist and squeezed gently.

“When did you two become a thing?” Ophelia asked pointing to each of us.

“Last night.”

They all broke into grins.

“You mean he knows now?” asked Ophelia.

Lu nodded.

Their grins turned into smiles, and they pulled us both into a hug. Lu and I had no chance to escape. When they finally let of us go, they were still smiling happily.

“So we finally have our Alpha Male?” asked Kenny.

“ _Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold on! We didn’t consummate the Bond!”_ Laura said quickly.

They frowned.

“You didn’t?”

We both shook our heads.

“Why not?”

I started to feel a bit uncomfortable. This was one of the biggest differences between Humans and Hybrids. Discussions of intercourse didn’t faze Hybrids, it was a natural thing to them, and so they had no qualms about talking about it in public.

I cleared my throat getting their attention.

“Perhaps we shouldn’t talk about this in public?”

 

“So, tell me,” said Shawn after stuffing his face full of food, “what do these Artifacts do? You haven’t told us.”

“Can you _not_ talk with your mouth full?” asked an irritated Veronica.

“No.”

Veronica huffed and crossed her arms.

I chuckled.

“There are four Artifacts, each is hidden at one of the Academies…”

“Yes, we covered this before,” interrupted Shawn.

Veronica punched him in the shoulder. “Quiet interrupting!”

They stared each other down.

“Anyway,” continued Kenny, “You were saying, Oscar?”

“Right, each of the Artifacts represents a different element: Earth, Air, Water, and Fire. We have the Air Artifact. We’re headed to get the Water Artifact. Besides holding the power of its element each Artifact also possesses another power. For Air its knowledge…”

“Which explains why Yasmin was able to learn about your past,” concluded Kenny.

I nodded. “Exactly. For Water, it’s healing, for Fire its power, and for Earth its dependability.”

“Makes sense. And they can help us defeat Hela?”

“In theory, yes.”

“In theory?” asked Ophelia.

“Yes, well… I’ll admit, I haven’t tried before.”

“Why?”

“It’s… almost like a onetime thing.”

“Why?”

“Again, I’m not sure. My theory is, is that once tried the Artifacts will destroy themselves. Don’t ask me why I honestly don’t know.”

“Why… never mind. Too personal,” said Kenny.

“Anything else we should know about the Artifacts?”

“Yes, Monsters are drawn to them. Faintly, but it’s there.”

“Monsters are drawn to _everything._ That’s not the biggest revelation.”

I chuckled. “You do have a point.”

“Anything else we should know about?”

“Nothing that I’m comfortable with disclosing.”

“Alright, what about these gods? What do they have to do with all this?”

I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck.

“The Twin Goddesses: Lux and Tenebris, are the entire reason on why Hela and I are eternally locked in battle.”

“Why, what happened to cause this?” Ophelia asked looking worried, Lu was right, she is a Mother Hen.

I frowned.

“I’d much rather not say right now.”

And just like that, the subject was dropped. In all my centuries of existing, I’d never had anyone not push me for answers. But, if anyone knew what it was like to try and keep the past buried it was the five of them.

“Soooo… do we still have to take a train?” inquired Shawn. “OW!” that was after Veronica hit him over the head. “What was that _for, V?!”_

“For being _stupid,_ Shawn!”

Then they started to argue, loudly.

Ophelia giggled. “Man, you two really love each other.”

“We do not!” they yelled at the same time, blushing furiously.

“Oh, _please!”_ interjected Kenny. “If you two aren’t perfect for each other, then _why are you two Mated to each other?”_

“Shut up, Kenny!” Shawn hissed.

Veronica crossed her arms over her chest and scowled. “I want a divorce then.” She said dryly.

Everyone, but Shawn and Crow, started laughing.


	14. Chapter 8: The Queen Chimera

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While on the train ride to Speara, the train is attacked by a group of Chimeras

“Are you absolutely _sure_ we have to take the train?” Shawn was still complaining days later, even as we were boarding the train to Speara.

“ _Yes!”_ everyone said in unison.

Shawn pouted.

“ _Fine!”_

“Would you just _shut up_ about the train!” V scolded.

“Not if it pisses you off,” Shawn mumbled quite enough for V not to hear, but seeing as how I was standing close to him I heard.

I shot him a look, and he just shrugged.

Shawn pouted like a child who thought they had been put in the corner. Arms folded, slouching in a chair and scowling.

“Maybe you should stop messing with Shawn,” I suggested turning back to the others.

They glanced at Shawn in his “corner.”

“Oh, he’ll be fine,” said Ophelia cheerfully.

“Yeah, he just needs to cool off, is all,” added Kenny.

“What he _needs_ is a swift kick in the ass,” grumbled V, also scowling.

Crow looked between V and Shawn.

“Ya know, I don’t know if I’ll _ever_ understand how the two of you were paired off. Kenny and Ophelia, yes. You and Shawn, no.”

That got Kenny, Ophelia, and Lu laughing.

“You know,” laughed Kenny, “we wonder the same thing.”

Another wave of laughter erupted, this time with V, Crow, and myself joining in.

“So,” Ophelia said after the laughter died down, “what’s Speara like?”

“Big. Loud. Stupid. And annoying,” Crow grumbled.

“Crow,” I said exasperated.

“Tell me I’m wrong, Oz! Everything there is big and flashy and stupid! They try to make _sure_ the rest of the world knows that they’re better than the rest of the world. And let’s not forget Otto! The man’s the worst of them! The way he treats Hybrids… no the way he treats _people_ , in general, is despicable!”

“Alright, Crow,” I said sternly, “we get it.”

Crow shrugged.

“I’m just sayin’ that man’s the worst of the worst.”

Once the conversation died down and everyone was doing their own thing, Laura pulled out an old tattered book and her earbuds. After about twenty minutes of idly looking around the carriage people-watching, I turned my head to Laura, who was deeply engrossed in her book with her head bobbing along to whatever she was listening to; and tapped her shoulder.

She glanced at me and took out one of her earbuds.

“Can I listen?” I asked. “Sorry, I’m a bit bored.”

She smirked and nodded, handing me the earbud.

The music wasn’t what I was expecting. It was classical, mostly featuring a piano as the main instrument. After a while, Lu began to tap out the rhythm with her fingers, and she didn’t even seem to be aware that she was doing it.

 

Several hours later I was jerked awake (not even aware that I’d fallen asleep in the first place) by the sound of screaming and the entire train shaking.

“What’s happening?” I asked no one in particular, all traces of sleep gone.

“Chimeras!” said Crow quickly, “Four of them. And one’s a Queen.”

I cursed under my breath. _Great! This is the_ last _thing we need!_

“ _We need to protect the passengers!”_ Lu said basically reading my mind (which she probably did).

“She’s right!” agreed Crow pulling out his weapon.

Everyone who needed weapons grabbed them and hastily pulled on jackets and coats.

“C’mon,” called Crow, waving everyone over to a hatch leading to the roof.

The wind whipped and burned around us as we stood on the roof of the train.

“ _I don’t see them!”_ yelled Kenny over the roar of the wind.

He turned to Shawn, who had the best eye sight of all of us and who was wearing goggles to protect his eyes.

“ _Do you see ‘em, man?”_

Shawn scanned the cloudy sky.

“ _There!”_ he pointed to the southeast. “ _They’re hiding in the clouds!”_

_“Can you get a good shot in?”_ I asked covering my face against the biting cold wind.

Shawn lined up his rifle, cursed then lowered it.

“ _No! They’re too far away! Wait! Here they come! Get ready!”_

They were huge! At least twenty feet tall on all fours. They screeched when they saw us, shaking the train.

They stopped several yards away from us.

“ _What are they doing?”_ Ophelia screamed trying desperately to keep her hair out of her face.

_They’re assessing us._ Came Laura’s calm voice in my head. _They’re wondering if it’s worth the attack, now that they know there are Slayers here._

The Queen Chimera roared and the three others lunged for the train.

Veronica’s razor-sharp nails extended and slashed at one of the Chimeras.

“ _Guess they decided then!”_

_“It would seem so!”_ agreed Crow shooting at another.

“ _We need to take out the Queen first! If she goes the others will cease the attack!”_ I yelled.

“ _Then ask her out already!”_ yelled Shawn.

“ _Not the time!”_ yelled V.

“ _Sorry!”_

The Queen landed, perched on the back of the train.

“ _Oz! Laura! You two go take care of the Queen! We’ll take care of the others!”_ shouted Crow.

We nodded and raced to the Queen Chimera. Its serpent-headed tail lashed out, trying to seize one of us in its jaw. Lu deflected it with a yellow energy shield encasing the head of the serpent and flinging in back. The Queen roared in fury.

“ _Duck!”_

Laura leapt out of the way, just in time as one of the Queen’s massive claws swiped at her. I brought out my spear and made to jam it into the Queen’s paw closest to me, but she ended up seeing me and moving her paw.

_OZ! Try and get underneath her! She can’t defend herself there!_

_And what do you suppose I do about her tail?_

_Leave that to me, love._

I felt a swell of pride when Laura called me: love, but I quickly squashed it. Needing to focus. I tried getting under her, but the Queen snapped her jaws at me, nearly grabbing me. Yellow mist energy surrounded her jaw before that could happen, I turned and saw Laura, with eyes yellow, folding her at bay.

Laura nodded at me to go, and I sprinted dodging claws as I went. I positioned myself under her soft stomach and was preparing to thrust the tip of my spear into the Queen when a screech caught my attention. I turned and saw the tail. I only had a split second to think _oh, crap;_ when it (basically) punted me off the side of the train.

I felt the scream ripped from my throat but didn’t hear it. All I could hear was the wind whipping around me and felt the cold.

_Well,_ I thought, _it’s not the worst way I’ve died._

Just as I finished thinking that, I felt someone grab my hand. I tore my eyes open long enough to see yellow mist and knew it was Laura. And the next thing I knew was my feet hitting solid ground.

I felt dizzy and slightly light headed.

_I thought you said you had the tail covered!_

_I did._ Came Laura’s sheepish voice in my head. _Sorry, love._

I opened my eyes and stared at her for a second, then shook my head.

_You can take care of the Queen Chimera._ I told her still feeling like I was going to throw up.

She smiled sweetly like she wasn’t taking on a horde of Monsters. She turned back to the Queen and raised yellow glowing hands. An aura of yellow mist encapsulated the Queen, and it roared in fury; trying desperately to shake or scratch off the mist. Laura moved her hands apart and the Queen screamed in pain as the aura surrounding it tightened around and started to pull it apart.

First, its wings came off, then it’s tail. Laura curled one of her hands into a fist then pulled it back until it rested by her ear, and as she did this the Queen Chimera roared in horrible pain (making me cover my ears) while its head twisted itself off. Laura then flung it off the train and into the valley below.

I stared at her in amazement. I hardly heard the other Chimeras roar and take off after their now dead Queen, or the wind that continued to whip around my ears. I couldn’t believe it. I’d never seen _anyone,_ myself included, take down a Queen Chimera, or _any_ Monster, with such ease. And she did it like it was nothing.

“Just how powerful are you?” I mumbled under my breath.

Laura flashed me a smile that could bring anyone to their knees.

“ _TUNNEL!”_

That snapped me back to reality. I looked and there was indeed a tunnel coming up fast. I felt a hand grab my upper arm, and I was in the air zooming back towards the opening in the roof.

Everyone was panting and shivering as Crow shut the hatch right before we came upon the tunnel.

“Everyone alright?” I huffed, shaking from the temperature difference.

I got a collective grumbling of ‘yes,’ and ‘we’re fine’.


	15. Chapter 9: Albertson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I know it's early, but finals week starts tomorrow so I figured post the chapter early than not at all.

I sat on the train watching Speara grow in size as we approached the city, with Lu’s head on my shoulder fast asleep. The snow had finally stopped falling and the sun was finally out, making the snow on the ground sparkle in the light. Lu and the others had already expressed their dislike of all the snow, saying how much they hated the white. I rested my head atop Laura’s as I continued to watch Speara approach.

“Oz,” I turned and found Crow taking the seat opposite me. He eyed Lu and I and gave a sly smirk. “You two look comfortable.”

I just stared at him. “Did you have something to talk about? Or did you just want to state the obvious?”

“I did. But first I want to talk about this,” he said motioning to me and the asleep Laura.

I huffed, wanting to roll my head from side to side in irritation but refrained from doing so, as not to wake Laura up.

“What’s to talk about?”

He arched an eyebrow. “What happened to you not wanting to get too close encase things went south?”

“Crow… I don’t know what to tell you…”

“How about starting with how it happened.”

“It was after we left the club.”

“Yeah, I’ve figured that much out.”

I rolled my eyes. “And she wanted to dance with me, and it just went from there.”

“Did you sleep with her?” It was an honest question, with no sly undertone.

“No. We didn’t sleep together. Just kiss.”

“Okay. I’ll take that.”

Honestly, Crow hadn’t changed much since he was a child attending Sanctuary.

“What did you want to talk about? Anything important?”

“Yeah, no. I just wanted to find out what was going on with the two of you.”

I couldn’t help but smile and roll my eyes.

 

“So, this is Speara!” V said in amazement as we stepped off the train and into the station.

“Well,” interjected Crow looking at her over his shoulder, “this is Grand Zora Station. This is the main hub for entrance into Speara from outside the city.”

“Yeah? Well, it looks amazing.” V said.

“ _Except for all the white. Couldn’t they have picked a different color? I feel like it’s blinding me. And giving me a headache,”_ grumbled Lu.

I wrapped an arm around her shoulder and gently squeezed her to me. She flinched initially but calmed down when she realized it was me. I smiled at her and she returned the smile.

“Where’s… you said it’s called Zima?” Ophelia asked.

“Near the center of town,” Crow responded, “and if you all don’t like the color white, you’re gonna hate it here. They’ve only got two colors here. Gray and white.”

There was a collective groan from the Pack, and I felt Lu’s shoulder’s slump.

Laura pulled up her hood when we stepped outside to the blinding gleam of the white snow and the glare of the sun off the glass buildings.

“Are we going to a hotel first? Or Zima Academy first?” shivered Shawn.

“Zima. We promised Albertson that we’d head there the second we arrived in Speara.”

“Fine with me.”

“You okay?” I whispered to Lu.

She nodded keeping her head down.

I kissed her temple.

“We won’t be here long. Samara will be a lot different from here.”

She nodded again.

I put my index and middle fingers in my mouth and blew, whistling for a hover cab.

Kenny looked over at me.

“I could never do that.”

I shrugged. “It’s easy.”

Thankfully we could all take the same cab because Aurian hovers used no drivers.

“Zima Academy.”

There was silence as the Pack stared out the windows in awe at the passing buildings. Lu didn’t seem as interested in the buildings as the others though, seeming more interested in a frayed piece of thread on the cuff of her red coat than the scenery.

“We have arrived at Zima Academy,” said the robotic voice of the hover.

As we exited the hover I was met with the sound of people bustling around the Academy, speaking quickly as they walked. I felt relieved at the sight of all the people.

“Oscar, Crow!” I turned and saw Albertson approach us with a smile that didn’t quite meet his eyes, as he eyed Lu and her Pack.

“Albertson, it’s been a minute,” said Crow.

We shook hands and introduced the Pack to Albertson.

“I see,” he said cautiously, “new allies?”

“Something like that,” said Crow glancing at me.

“Welcome to Zima Academy.”

“Thank you,” answered Kenny nodding to Albertson, “we appreciate the hospitality.”

“Please,” Albertson said motioning for us to follow him, “we can talk in my office.”

 

“So, how can I help you?” Albertson asked once the door was closed.

“We need the Water Artifact,” Crow said cutting to the chase.

“But I thought it was best to keep all the Artifacts separate.”

“I want to try something new to try and defeat Hela.”

Albertson nodded. “Is there any other way I can help? I could come with you.”

I shook my head.

“No. I need you here in Aurora. Keeping Zima safe. The last thing the people of Almer need is another Fall of Sanctuary.”

He didn’t look happy but didn’t say anything.

“If you could show us to the vault where the Artifact is.”

“Yes, of course. Follow me and I’ll take you to it.”

We followed Albertson down several hallways and into an elevator. We descended several floors until we were under the school when the elevator doors finally opened.

“Ugh…” groaned Shawn, “more white.”

Albertson glanced back at him confused, then looked at me. I just shook my head.

We walked down the dark hallway that lit up as we moved closer to the vault’s entrance.

“Quite the elaborate setup,” commented Ophelia.

“I agree with Effie,” said Kenny.

“Effie?” I asked turning to look at the pair.

Kenny pointed to Ophelia. “Effie’s what I call her sometimes.”

I nodded.

We reached the entrance of the vault, Albertson entered in a code and the vault doors opened. Relics and other valuable things were strewn around the vault and on the other side of the vault was another door, this one holding the Artifact. When we reached this door Albertson entered in another code and these set of doors opened to reveal… _nothing!_

The Artifact was _gone!_


	16. Chapter 10: The Missing Artifact

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Pack tries to find out what happened to the Artifact.

“ _Where is the Artifact, Albertson?!”_ I yelled spinning around to face Albertson with fury written all over my face, seething, seeing red.

Albertson looked dumbfounded at the empty vault then back at me, then glanced back at the still very empty vault.

“I… I…” he tried saying.

“Albertson,” said an astonished Crow looking a mix of angry and dumbfounded, “what have you done? Where is the Artifact?”

“It was _right here!”_ he said gesturing to the empty vault, “I just checked on it yesterday! It was just here! I swear!”

“Then who _else_ had access to it?!” I seethed surprised by how calm my voice was despite how furious I was.

“N-no one! No one else has access to _this_ door.”

“Then find _out_ who gained access.” I raged, my muscles trembling with how tensed up I was.

“Well, someone obviously did,” said Kenny surprisingly calmly. “Can you think of anyone who could have and would have had the motive to steal the Artifact?”

Albertson swallowed audibly looking very nervous.

“We can view the security cameras, to see who took it.”

“Then lead the way,” I said reigning in some of my anger.

As we walked back to the security room I felt a gentle caress in my mind, I turned and saw Laura with yellow eyes looking concerned. She was frowning and looked genuinely worried about my angry outcry. I realized this was her way of asking for permission to enter my mind. I gave it to her and while turning back to glaring at Albertson’s back.

_Are you alright?_ She asked calmly.

_No._ I snapped and instantly regretted it, as I felt Laura retreat a little from my mind. _I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you. I’m frustrated._

_Its fine, I know you’re frustrated. I would be too if I was in your position. We’ll find it. I know we will. If we don’t find anything on the cameras I can use my Gift to find the person’s residual energy signature. We’ll find him._

I glanced at her gratefully, wondering when she had become so optimistic.

“ _Thank you_ ,” I mouthed at her.

She nodded, smiling slightly. Despite my anger at Albertson, I felt my heart swell at that small smile. She’d been smiling a lot more recently.

“General Albertson, sir. How can I help you?” asked a security officer after saluting Albertson as we entered a room full of security screens and computers. Despite the lights being off the room was lit enough to see everything without the need to squint.

“I need to view all the security footage inside the vault. From the beginning of yesterday until now.” Albertson said pulling on his professional General voice, that I and Crow knew so well.

“Very well, sir,” she turned around and typed out a few things and pulled up the footage from the vault.

“Thank you. Now if you all could please leave us.”

Everyone filed out of the room leaving the eight of us alone. I sat down in the seat in front of the screen and started typing out keys to fast forward the footage.

“Dude, you know how to do this?” asked Shawn leaning down and looking at the footage over my shoulder.

“Several of my incarnations I became a computer specialist.”

“Cool,” he said straightening back up.

“Albertson,” I called not moving my eyes from the screens, “what am I looking for?”

I heard Albertson walk up behind me stopping right behind the chair.

“Anyone that isn’t myself.”

I brought up the camera pointed right at the second vault door and began to speed up the footage. I saw Albertson enter the frame, enter the code and the door open, check on the Artifact, reenter the code and then leave. For several hours the vault was empty.

“Wait! What was that?” Ophelia said pointing at one of the screens. “Pause it.”

I did and zoomed in on what she was pointing at. There was a man who looked around mid-fifties, with dark graying hair and wrinkles around his face, and a slightly hunched back.

“Who is that?” Crow wondered leaning closer to the screen to get a better look.

“Oh-no.”

“What?” I asked turning to face Albertson.

He groaned and ran a hand over his face.

“Albertson, what is it?”

“That’s Otto Wagner. He came by yesterday. We argued about the borders again. When he left I assumed that left the Academy. I guess not.”

“You guess right,” said Crow crossing his arms.

I didn’t even reprimand Crow, I was still too angry with Albertson myself.

“Go ahead and play the footage, Oz,” said Kenny.

I did and watched as Otto wandered the vault until he stopped in front of the second vault door. He looked around then entered in a code, it didn’t work at first, and he tried several more codes. Until he finally got fed up and fished something out of his pocket, and plugged it into the keypad and finally the vault doors opened. Revealing the Water Orb Artifact. Otto took it and left. Feeling my anger return full force. Trying desperately to control it! How could Albertson let this happen? It was… it was… it was so incredibly frustrating!

I felt Laura’s presence once again in my mind, calming me down some so I could think clearly focus once more.

I stopped the footage and turned back glaring to Albertson. “Why would he take the Artifact?” I asked slowly through my gritted teeth.

Albertson seemed to wrack his brain for a reason.

“Yesterday he said something about me regretting closing the trade borders.”

“So why would he take the Artifact?” asked Ophelia.

“No, better yet,” said an amazed Kenny, “he stole a priceless Artifact simply cause he’s pissed that his sales are down.”

“The dude sounds completely unhinged!” scoffed Shawn.

“I don’t know, the man’s become unhinged the past few months.”

“All because you closed the trade borders?”

“Real winner! Really!”

“Well, I think our next course of attack is obvious,” said Veronica.

“Which is?” I asked her.

“We steal it back.”


	17. Chapter 11: The Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Pack and Albertson make a plan to get the Artifact back from Wagner.

“What do you mean ‘we steal it back’?” asked Albertson.

“I mean exactly what I say. We steal the damn thing back,” said Veronica.

“And how do you propose we do that?” asked Albertson unconvinced that the Pack could do it.

Veronica raised an eyebrow. “Whoever said _you’d_ help _us? We_ can steal it back just fine without you. Besides Wagner knows what you look like,” she turned to Crow and I noticed for the first time that her eyes were yellow. Laura must have been using her to talk. “Crow, does Wagner know what you look like?”

Crow shook his head, “I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting him.”

She turned back to Albertson. “Then the seven of us will figure out how to steal the Orb back.”

“And what gives you the right to give _me_ orders?” Albertson asked pointing accusingly at Veronica.

Her eyes turned back to yellow. “I don’t. But she does,” Veronica said gesturing to Laura.

“And how is that?”

“She’s an Alpha,” Kenny said with yellow eyes.

“An Alpha? That practice went away after the Great War.”

The Pack shared a knowing look with each other.

“Yes well, we still follow the practice. But I digress, Wagner knows what none of us look like, and Ophelia is the perfect person to steal the Orb back.”

“And why is that?”

“Yeah,” said Crow looking curious, “why Ophelia? How is she best suited?”

Kenny turned to look at Ophelia, eyes still yellow and smiled. “You can show them. I feel like we can give away our trump card.”

Ophelia nodded, and before our very eyes her skin started lightening up and she grew taller and more muscular and her hair receded into her scalp and before us stood an exact replica of Crow.

Crow, Albertson and I all had bulging eyes and slack jaws.

“So,” I said being the first to recover, “you’re a shapeshifter.”

Crow-Ophelia nodded and changed back into herself.

“Well,” said the real Crow rubbing the back of his neck, “it seems like you _would_ be best suited to steal the Artifact back. But how are we going to find it in the first place?”

“Oh, don’t worry about that! This Wagner guy’s easy to read. He’s an egoist! He’s going to have to show off his find. And when he does we’ll be ready.”

“Well, I suppose until then you all can stay with me. No need in you getting a hotel,” Albertson said.

As we followed Albertson out of Zima Academy, Laura pulled me aside looking concerned.

“ _Are you okay?”_ she asked.

“I’m fine,” I told her.

She didn’t look convinced.

“ _No, you aren’t. Believe me, I’m a master at pretending that everything’s ‘just fine.’ So tell me what’s wrong.”_

I took a deep breath, held it for a few moments then exhaled and ran my fingers through my hair.

“Frustrated,” I said looking down at her.

“ _I get that. But I’ve never seen you get so angry. Even with the incident, you weren’t that angry.”_

I chuckled humorlessly. “That’s because I had you to get angry.”

She made a face.

“Right, right. Sorry.”

“ _What do the Fan and Orb do exactly?”_

“Right, so the Fan (the Air Artifact) represents knowledge, so if you wave it the spirit of the Fan will come out and you can ask it a question. But, you only get one question per person.”

“ _And have you asked it something?”_

“Yes, I have.”

“ _What was it?”_

“I… uhhh… I much rather not say right now.”

“ _Okay. What about the Orb?”_

“The Orb is a bit different. The Water Artifact represents health, so whoever holds it will be healed of any injury, even if they’re on the brink of death.”

“ _What about psychological healing?”_

“No, I don’t think it can do that. If it could, I wouldn’t be so messed up in the head.”

Lu shoved me playful at that.

“C’mon,” yelled Crow from the entrance, “both of you!”

“You heard him,” I said holding out my arm, “let’s go.”

She smiled at me and took my arm.

 

“General Albertson, sir, this just came for you,” said a servant as we entered Albertson’s house and they handed him an envelope.

Albertson turned the envelope over, opening it.

“Who’s it from?” Crow asked.

“Guess.”

“Otto Wagner?”

“Bingo.”

“What the hell he want?”

To General Albertson

 

I would like cordially invite you to the annual Wagner Enterprise Ball.

It will be held three days hence.

Please, RSVP and let us know if you plan on bringing anyone else.

It will be held at the Wagner Estate.

Black and White attire only.

 

Sincerely, Otto Wagner

 

            When Albertson finished reading the invitation, he looked up and the Pack looked like they were kids in the candy store.

“What? Why do you all look so happy?”

“Because,” Kenny said grinning wickedly, “this is exactly what we want.”

“We need to get the floor plans to the Wagner Estate,” said Veronica.

“And we need to copy that invite for the rest of us,” said Ophelia.

“Let’s not forget that we need to hack into the systems to make sure that we’re on the invite list and we need to find out about the security team,” said Shawn.

“Man,” interjected Crow, “ya’ll are efficient.”

They grinned.

“I can do most of the things you need,” said Albertson.

“Crow and I can help you,” I added.

“We need the floor plans first and foremost,” said Kenny.

I nodded.

“You’ll all need something to wear. I’ll also take care of that.”

“ _Thank you,”_ said Laura.

 

After three days to intense planning and research and _way_ too much coffee and not enough sleep everything was ready to get the Orb back.

 

* * *

 

 

“Alright,” said Kenny as we gathered around a table showing the blueprints to the Wagner Estate, “let’s go over the plan one more time.”

“Laura, your job is to keep Wagner occupied in any way you can. While extracting the exact location of the Orb from him.”

“ _So the easy part?”_

“Once you get the exact location you tell Ophelia. Ophelia, you will then steal the Orb back before anyone notices. The rest of us will be placed at different points in the room to make sure nothing goes tits up.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas Eve, everyone! Be on the lookout tomorrow for another chapter! And thank you to everyone who's read my story.


	18. Chapter 12: The Ball

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Pack attends Otto Wagner's ball.

“How’re you doing, Oz?” Crow asked as he set a drink down in front of me on the table.

I looked from the drink to him.

“I’m fine. Why do you ask?”

“It’s just with Laura’s role in this plan,” he said lowering his voice.

I rolled my eyes, “I’m not some jealous lover, Crow. I can handle whatever happens tonight.”

Crow looked over my shoulder as there was a collective gasp from the people down below on the first floor.

“You so sure about that?” Crow said still looking over my shoulder, as he arched an eyebrow.

“Of course I am. What are you st---,” I turned to see what Crow was staring at and froze.

It was Laura.

She’d just walked in. She looked _stunning._ She wore a floor-length silver flowing and beaded long sleeve dress. (Of course it was silver, Laura would never wear the color white.) It flowed around her, accentuating her natural curves, it even highlighted her tattoo. I swallowed heavily as Laura’s eyes fell on me and her smile widen. I stared open-mouthed at her. Sadly, Otto Wagner decided at that moment to approach her. I quickly looked away before I saw what happened.

“I’m not gonna be okay!”

“It’ll be fine. Just… don’t look at her,” Crow offered unhelpfully.

“Gee _thanks,”_ I grumbled as I put my head in my hands.

“I guess we know why they wouldn’t let anyone see her,” Crow mumbled glancing at Laura.

I stared daggers at him.

“ _Well it is!”_ he defended. “She also cleans up amazingly.”

“Trying not to think about it.”

“Right… sooooo--,” said Crow.

“Yes?” I asked not looking up at him.

“What are the two of you exactly?”

“We’re _really_ talking about this right now?”

“Got anything else you want to talk about?”

“No. Not really.”

“Then answer the question.”

I rolled my head around feeling the joints pop before I answered. “I don’t really know. We haven’t talked about it.”

“Well, you’re obviously _something_ to each other.”

I stared at Crow, dumbfounded. “We’re _really_ talking about this now?”

“Yup,” he said without missing a beat.

I rolled my eyes. “Change the _subject, Crow.”_

He held up his arms. “Fine, fine. Do you actually think this’ll work?”

I sighed in relief. “Honestly, I do. Given their history, it seems highly likely that it’ll succeed. I’d be surprised if it doesn’t.”

Crow looked down at the dance floor. “Well, Laura seems to be doing her part.”

I felt one of my eyes twitch as I resisted the urge to look down at the dance floor.

_I hate this day so much right now._

As I fought the urge to smash my head in against the table, I felt something start to probe at the outer edges of my mind… no, probe wasn’t the right word, caress was more like it. It felt familiar, but at the same time foreign. I focused on keeping this intruder out of my mind, not knowing who it was. I felt the invisible fingers comb over every inch of my mind looking for an entryway. Soon enough though, the person gave up.

I let my eyes roam around the room, looking for any signs of Ophelia, but figuring if I did spot her I wouldn’t know it. It was maddening not knowing if everything was going according to plan. The song that had been playing ended, with everyone clapping. I looked at the door that led to the rest of the house.

I felt someone tap my shoulder, I turned and felt my mouth go dry.

“ _Laura,”_ I rasped not really believing that she was standing in front of me.

She smiled and held out her right hand. I tried to swallow the cotton ball that formed in my throat. She looked even more beautiful up close (I didn’t even think that was possible). The dress she wore, I noticed, had the shoulders cut out of the sleeves and was a halter top, and it _really_ complimented her curves.

Laura pointed at me, then at herself, then at the dance floor.

“Do you want to dance with me?” I asked dryly.

She nodded, then before I could reply she grabbed my arm and dragged me downstairs to the dance floor. I also noticed that her dress was backless as well. That stupid dress might not have shown a lot of skin, but it was doing its job well, every man stared daggers (mostly at me) as we made our way to the dance floor. I both hated and loved that dress.

“We’re the same height now,” I said dumbly as I held her as we danced, while mentally cursing myself for saying something so stupid. I’m as old as time immemorial and _that’s_ the best I can come up with?!

She smiled, and I noticed how the smile was starting to reach her eyes.

I felt the invisible fingers caressing the edges of my mind again, looking for a way in.

“Is that you?” I whispered.

She nodded.

I let her into my mind.

_Why let me in now, when earlier you shut me out?_

“That was you?”

She nodded.

“Why are you dancing with me? You should be with Otto Wagner.”

_I got everything I needed from him. It didn’t take long, his mind was like an open book. Honestly, he’s not that smart or clever. He’s actually fairly stupid. Plus he was_ way _too handsy._

I think I actually felt and heard something snap inside my head.

Laura gave me a sly smile. _Now, now I can take care of myself. Do you honestly think I’d let him touch me?_

I didn’t say anything, just stared at her.

She giggled her silent giggle.

_He’s not you, Oscar. I don’t mind you touching me. Other people, I still very much have a problem. If only Wagner knew he’d been dancing and flirting with a Hybrid all night. The look on his face would be priceless!_

“How’s everything going on Ophelia’s end?” I asked changing the subject.

_Perfect. She’s almost got it. Everything’s going according to plan._

Then Laura did something I never thought I’d see, she smiled. A _real genuine_ smile. One that lit up her entire face, one that even reached her eyes. It wasn’t faked or half-hearted. It was _real._ In that moment I felt my heart stop. She looked stunning, with her beautiful dress, and that smile. Her eyes crinkled at the edges as she smiled. Laura had dimples, I didn’t even realize she had dimples.

“Laura,” I said breathlessly as I stared, “are you happy? Truly happy, right now? In this moment?”

She nodded. _Yes, for some odd reason, I am very happy right now._

I felt my lips twitch. “I… am very glad I met you, Laura.”

The song ended and Laura took my hand and guided me to one of the many balconies. She took a deep breath as I closed the glass door, for a little more privacy. I turned to face Laura, she was looking up and the twin moons, both full and shining. They cast Lu in a silvery glow.

“You look beautiful,” I told her quietly.

Her smile brightened.

“ _I am very glad I met you too, Oscar.”_

She took my hand and some snow and started drawing on my palm. I watched silently as she doodled on my hand until all of the snow melted. She looked up, with that beautiful smile on her face. I hadn’t realized how close we’d gotten until now. We were nearly nose to nose. Laura smelled like strawberries and roses.

“You smell wonderful, like strawberries and roses,” I told her quietly, not wanting the moment to end. “Laura…” I didn’t know what to say, I just continued to stare into her beautiful eyes, eyes that reflected moonslight.

I felt the invisible caresses in my mind and let her in. I began to hear a medley play in my mind. It was slow. And intimate.

I started to lean down, when (much to my frustration) Lu’s eyes briefly turned yellow. Gently she placed a hand on my chest and pushed me away.

_“Ophelia has the Artifact. It’s time we left.”_

I had gotten Crow back to Albertson’s house about half an hour after Laura and the others had, making sure no one got suspicious.

“I’d still like to know where you and Laura ran off to,” Crow was saying.

“Nowhere. I’ve told you that.”

“Right, well I’ll go and make the arrangements to head to Samara.”

“Yeah,” I said walking up the stairs.

I stopped when I reached Laura’s door. Not really knowing why I’d stopped. I stared and contemplated for a long time before I finally knocked softly on her door. Slowly, she opened it. Her hair was down around her shoulders and she was still wearing that dress. Without a word, she moved aside to let me in then shut the door behind us.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas to everyone!


	19. Chapter 13: Meeting Before Breakfast

I yawned as I made my way down to the kitchen for something to eat. I’d slept in this morning. It was nearly eight thirty in the morning. I guess last night took more out of me than I thought.

When I entered the kitchen everyone else was already there. Laura’s Pack mates smirked and gave me a knowing look.

“Oh, good!” Albertson said. “We were going to wake you earlier, but Laura told us to let you sleep. At least… I _think_ that’s what she said,” he muttered the last part to himself, but the Pack snickered at it.

“Yes, Oz, how _did_ you sleep?” asked Shawn, which earned him a smack across the back of the head from Veronica.

“ _OW!_ Really, V?”

Veronica narrowed her eyes at him.

Shawn started pouting.

“We were wondering if you were open to telling us more about the Artifacts?” asked Kenny holding up the Orb.

I felt a huge sense of relief wash over me at the sight if the Orb. Knowing that last night wasn’t a disaster.

“Well, seeing as how you all got it back for me (thank you, Opehlia),” Ophelia beamed, “I don’t see why not. May I?” I asked holding out my hand. Kenny handed the Artifact over.

“I’ve told you pretty much all there to both the Air and Water Artifacts, but I will tell you this: when all the Artifacts are brought together, they’ll be at their strongest…” I said trailing off thinking about the Plan and how so much has changed now.

“And?” asked Ophelia looking slightly concerned.

“And what?” I asked snapping back to reality.

“You sounded like you were going to say something else,” said Veronica also looking concerned.

“It’s… nothing.”

The Pack exchanged worried looks.

“Alright, if you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine,” said Shawn.

At that moment, Albertson decided to excuse himself and finish up the preparation for us to go to Samara.

Once he’d left, Lu snapped her fingers bringing my attention to her.

“ _Is there something bothering you?”_

I sighed. “Yes, there is. And since you’ve all come this far with me and trusted me even though I’ve kept you in the dark about so much you haven’t cared or protested. _Stars,_ you all are probably going to hate me after this,” I said wracking my fingers through my hair.

“I doubt we’ll hate you, Oz,” Crow said resting a comforting hand on my shoulder, but doing little to comfort me.

I took a deep breath trying to calm my raging nerves.

“Alright, here goes… I knew Hela. Before… she… changed.”

I looked at everyone in the room and was met by confused faces.

“What do you mean, Oz?” Crow asked.

“We… grew up together. Played together. Trained together. We were practically inseparable. We were the closest of friends. Until… it all changed one day. I’m still not entirely sure on what happened. But… she changed. She was suddenly violent, manipulative, cruel… evil. And I did nothing. I did nothing to stop or reason with her. It’s all my fault.”

I put my head in my hands and waited for the insults and the abuse to start again. But, instead, I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder. I looked up and saw Laura standing beside me with a sympathetic smile on her face. She wrapped her arms around my neck and buried her face in the crock of my neck and combed her fingers through my hair.

I looked dazed around at the others, all had similar looks on their faces.

“Do you honestly think _we’d_ get mad at you for being manipulated by someone?” asked Kenny kindly.

“Oz, we know what it’s like to be manipulated. To be forced to do things you don’t want to do,” said Veronica softly.

“We could _never_ blame you for it,” Ophelia said.

“So _what_ if you knew her as a kid. Doesn’t matter now, does it?” Crow said crossing his arms.

I opened and closed my mouth, not knowing what to say. To any of them. Normally when I told people this, they’d turn on me (like Leo did) and start blaming me for everything. This was the first time anyone was ever… sympathetic to me.

“I… don’t know what to say…” it suddenly felt like this great big weight was lifted from my shoulders. “I don’t think I can even remember the last time I told someone this and they didn’t turn on me,” I glanced at Crow as I said this and he simply shrugged.

“You were a kid and you were being manipulated. How could I _possibly_ blame you for that?”

I laughed humorlessly. “Many have. Leo included.”

“While I’m pretty sure there’s more to this story,” said Veronica, “none of us are mad or blame you. We promise we’re here until the end.”

And I believed them. I believed the six people that stood in this room wouldn’t betray me like so many before them.

“Oz, I was nothing before you found me and took me under your wing,” said Crow, “I owe everything to you.”

I hadn’t even realized I was crying until Laura started whipping them away with her thumbs. I looked into her brown eyes and saw nothing but kindness and heartache. I pulled her close and buried my head in her chest as she soothingly ran her fingers through my hair. I had a feeling that, if she were able, she would’ve started humming.

“Well,” Kenny said after a while, “since you told us something, it only seems fair that _we_ tell you something about our past.”

“Kenny, you don’t have to do that,” Crow said.

“We want to. It’s the least we can do. Returning the favor, if you will.”

_When we were little,_ came Laura’s voice in my head, _the scientists came up with this special mixture that they called the Trigger Scent. Each one of us has a different scent._

“Trigger Scent? What’s that?” interrupted Crow.

“The Trigger Scent, is pretty much what it sounds like,” said Shawn. “It’s a bunch of chemicals that when fired and inhaled by one of us will send us into an animalistic rage.”

“If we ever smell it,” continued Ophelia, “we only ever have one goal in mind.”

_Kill whoever is wearing the Trigger Scent,_ finished Laura. _None of us have ever been able to overcome the Trigger Scent._

“We do,” said Veronica, “have a few basic rules when it comes to the Trigger Scent. The first is: that we can’t attack each other, even if we’re standing in the way.”

“And our most sacred law is,” continued Kenny, “we cannot under any circumstances attack or kill one of the Pack’s Mates.”

 


	20. Chapter 14: Shawn the Complainer

“So, we’re going from the extreme cold to the extreme heat?” asked a disbelieving Shawn.

“Yes, Samara is mostly desert,” I replied as I put all the bags in the cargo ship we were taking.

Shawn groaned loudly and for a long time.

“You weren’t kidding,” I murmured to Lu, “he does complain a lot.”

She giggled silently.

“Oi! Bird Boy! Shut up and quit complaining!” yelled Veronica, “At least this trip will only be three days rather than two weeks!”

Albertson had managed to get us a quick cargo ship to take us to Vulca, Samara’s capital city and the location of Ombra Academy.

“That’s everything,” I said standing up straight and popping my back.

“ _Not everything,”_ Laura snickered pointing to the resisting Shawn.

Currently, Kenny, Crow, and Veronica were trying to force him into the ship but failing.

“Should you help them?” I asked Laura as we watched the struggle.

“ _In a minute. I’m enjoying this.”_

I laughed at that while wrapping my arm around her waist.

After a few more minutes of the others struggling to get Shawn in the ship, yellow mist surrounded him and he was flung into the ship.

“Thank you,” came the tired voice of Crow.

“ _Oscar!”_

I turned and saw Albertson running up to the ship with something long and slender in his hand.

“I’m glad I caught you before you left,” he panted.

“Everything alright?” I asked.

“What? Oh, yes! I just wanted to give you this,” he said handing me what I could now see was a black cane. “Crow mentioned that your last one was destroyed during the Fall.”

I turned the cane around in my hands.

“Push the button on the handle.”

I did, and a click sounded and from the base of the handle came a steel sword.

“Thank you, Albertson,” I said sheathing the sword.

“Now twist the handle.”

I did, and a small dagger came from the base of the handle.

“Thank you very much, Albertson.”

“Time to leave,” the captain of the ship shouted.

I clasped Albertson’s hand.

“Be careful, Oz.”

“You as well.”

Albertson waved as the doors closed.

“ _Your old one?”_ Laura asked after we were in the air.

“I had a cane like this one in my previous life. But I lost it during the Fall of Sanctuary.”

“ _What happened to it?”_

“Don’t know. After I woke up like this,” I gestured to myself, “I tried finding it, but I couldn’t. I think it was destroyed after I died.” I sighed. “And I was very fond of it, too.”

She kissed my cheek. “ _Sorry.”_

I shrugged.

“ _Arghh…”_

We turned and found Shawn sulking while V stared daggers at him.

“This is going to be a long three days, isn’t it?” I asked turning back to Laura.

She nodded.

“He’s gonna complain the entire time isn’t he?”

She nodded.

“So, Crow, have you ever been to Samara?” Kenny asked after we’d been on the ship for a few hours and was starting to run out of things to talk about.

Crow groaned. “Yes, sadly.”

Kenny looked confused.

“Something happens while you were there?”

“You could say that.”

“Like what?” asked Kenny arching an eyebrow.

“He got left at the altar,” I chimed in.

“Oh. That’s… okay. Who?”

“Dorothea. The Headmaster of Ombra Academy.”

“Oh, wow. How long has it been since you to saw each other?”

“The wedding, where she left me at the altar.”

“Oh. Well, this is gonna be awkward,” said Kenny awkwardly scratching the back of his neck, glancing at Ophelia.

“Incredibly so.”

The Pack exchanged worried and curious looks.

“Is… that going to be a problem?” asked Ophelia slowly, looking at Crow with concern.

Crow grunted that being the most response he gave her.

“Well okay,” said Veronica.

“Oh,” I said remembering something, turning around and digging around in my bag and pulling out seven sets of desert clothes. Turning and handing them to each of them.

The clothes were all lightweight and lightly colored.

“You don’t have to put them on right now, but they will help keep you all cool.”

“Thank you, Oscar,” Veronica smiled as she took the clothes.

A few more hours passed with muted conversations between everyone when Veronica turned her head to look over at Crow and me. She was laying down on one of the benches with her knees up in the air.

“Hey, Crow, what would you do if you weren’t a Slayer?”

“Why?”

“We’re curious.”

“I don’t really know. I never really thought about doing anything else. Why what would you want to do?”

“I,” said Veronica with a sly look, “would like to be an animal rescuer.”

“Really?” I asked.

“Yeah. And Shawn,” she turned to look at Shawn, who was leaning against Veronica’s legs, “what do you like to do?”

“I want…” he said thoughtfully, “to be a… uhh… an astronomer.”

“Really?” everyone said in surprise.

“Yes! Why is that so surprising?!” Shawn exclaimed indigently.

“Because you don’t seem like the type of person!” laughed Veronica.

Shawn folded his arms and started pouting. Which made everyone start to laugh more.

“What about you, Ophelia? What would you like to do?” asked Veronica.

“Ummm…” Ophelia mused while pushing her hair out of her face, “I want to be a teacher,” she finished cheerfully.

“What kind of teacher?” I asked her.

“Like a Primary school teacher.”

“I can see that,” I told her, which she preened at.

“Oh, she could totally be a teacher. She’s a Mother Hen.”

Everyone laughed.

“Kenny? What about you?”

“I’d like to, and don’t laugh at this, a Hybrid activist.”

“What’s to laugh at?” I asked. “That’s a noble thing to pursue.”

“Thank you. It’s just that I see all the miss treatment that normal Hybrids go through and I feel like maybe I could try and make a little bit of a difference.”

“Well, now whatever the rest of us say gonna sound selfish! Thanks a lot, Kenny!”

Everyone doubled up with laughter.

“Lulu,” Veronica said looking over at Laura once all the laughter died down again, “what about you? What do you want to do?”

“Something with music, I presume,” commented Shawn.

“ _Doing something with music would be nice, but… honestly, I want something domestic. Normal. Nothing too exciting, or anything like that. Just normal.”_


	21. Chapter 15: Dorothea

I shielded my eyes from the desert sun as we stepped off the cargo ship in Vulca, three days later. As dust swirled up around us.

“It’s so hot,” complained Shawn as he tugged down his goggles.

“Find something else to complain about, you’ve only been doing it for the past three days,” said an aggravated Veronica as she pulled up her hood.

“We shouldn’t be here too long,” I said turning to everyone. “Hopefully we’ll only be here a day, day and a half at the most.”

“Then we go to Vera, right?” asked Kenny.

“Right.”

“Why won’t we be here that long?” asked Ophelia.

“Because finding the Artifact at Sanctuary will probably take us a little longer to find. I hid the Earth Artifact incredibly well, so if anything were to happen to me, no one would be able to find it. And now that the Academy is destroyed who knows how long it’ll take us to find it.”

“Good point. Where do we go first?”

“We need to call, Dorothea, first.”

Crow groaned.

“Where can we do that?”

“There should be an old call center a few blocks away,” Crow said.

As we walked the wind picked up blowing dust into our faces. Thankfully, we’d all packed goggles and clothes to cover our mouths and noses. Crow pulled the door open and we all hurried inside. We pulled off hoods, masks, and pulled up goggles.

“Crow, I hate to ask this of you…”

“Yet you ask anyway.”

“But I need you to call Dorothea.”

Crow looked at me like I’d grown a second head.

“You’re joking. _Please_ tell me you’re joking!”

“Afraid not. She doesn’t know me like this. She knows you.”

Crow looked he’d much rather do _anything_ else, and I didn’t blame him. His shoulder slumped and he sighed.

“Fine. Stars, this is gonna suck,” he said as he pulled out his phone and walked over to the nearest call station.

I turned to the Pack. “Might be best if you aren’t in the frame. Dorothea is… umm… I think paranoid would be the best way to describe her.”

“Right…” said Kenny slowly.

I joined Crow at the call station.

“I hate you for this,” he grumbled.

“I know and I’m sorry.”

“How do we even know if she’ll take my call?” he said beginning to dial the number. “She could ignore it for all we know.”

“ _What the hell do you want?”_ came Dorothea’s voice from the call screen.

“Shit.”

Dorothea crossed her arms over her chest as she glared at Crow.

“ _What do you want you useless piece of shit?”_ Dorothea repeated.

“Thea, it’s me! Crow!”

“ _My bad. What_ do you _want you…”_ and she proceeds to curse him out until I cleared my throat getting her attention.

“ _Who the hell is this?”_

Crow rubbed his temples. “You can hold it from here, Oz. I’ve done my part.” With that, he turned on his heels and left the call station.

“ _Oz? Oscar? Is that really you?”_

I turned back to Dorothea and nodded.

“It is. It’s been a while since we last saw each other, Dorothea.”

_“Wait! How do I know you’re really Oscar?”_

I sighed. “I once helped you out of a King Hydra pit, and you made me swear never to tell a living soul.”

She started smiling. “ _Oz! You look good. What can I do for you?”_

“The Artifact. Is it safe?”

“ _Of course.”_

“Has there been anyone who’s approached you about the Artifact?”

She hesitated. “ _No, of course not.”_

I arched an eyebrow.

“Dorothea, has someone approached you? If they have, then just say so. I won’t be mad if they have.”

She rubbed the back of her head and looked sheepish.

“ _Someone has. But I need you to know I haven’t told them anything!”_ she added quickly.

I nodded, believing Dorothea. She wasn’t the type to betray trusted allies easily. Her extreme paranoia made it nearly impossible.

“What about your staff? Is everyone still there?”

“ _Well of course!”_ Dorothea sounded almost offended at the suggestion. “ _After what happened at Sanctuary I wouldn’t leave my Academy undefended! Are you crazy?! (Oh wait, that’s me).”_

I chuckled. “Are you at the Academy right now?”

“ _No, I’m at home with my wife and children. But I can be there in about an hour. It is a Sunday, Oscar.”_

_Oh, now it’s making more sense on why you and Crow didn’t work out._ I thought.

I nodded. “Yes, that would be great. Also, Crow and I,” she groaned at his name, “will be accompanied by five other people. They’re allies of mine. They can be trusted.”

Dorothea frowned but conceded. _“Very well.”_

The call ended, and I rejoined the others.

“ _Well?”_ asked Laura.

“She’ll be at the Academy in an hour. And as it turns out someone has approached Dorothea about the Artifacts.”

“What?” asked a stunned Kenny.

“She didn’t give them anything though. I doubt she ever would. Her extreme paranoia wouldn’t let her.”

“Right,” said Shawn, “off the Ombra we go!”

I rolled my eyes at his antics but enjoyed them nonetheless. Over the past weeks, I had become increasingly fond of all of them. They’d all claimed a special place in my heart. Quirks and all.

“Come on,” I said gesturing to them from over my shoulder, “I’ll show you guys where Ombra Academy is.”

“So,” Ophelia said coming up to walk beside me, “this Dorothea, she’s pretty paranoid, right?”

I chuckled.

“She is _very_ paranoid. She never leaves anything to chance.”

“Why? Why’s she so paranoid?”

“Good question. I don’t actually know why. She’s just always been that way.”

“I bet when you told her about… _you,_ her mind was nearly shattered,” Ophelia joked.

I couldn’t help but chuckle at remembering Dorothea’s reaction.

“You’re not that far off from the truth.”

“Seriously?” Ophelia laughed. “Man, I would’ve loved to have seen that! Bet it was memorable.”

I chuckled again.

“It’s certainly one of the more… _unique_ reactions I’ve gotten.”

“What exactly happened?”

“Well, she kind of went all ridged, and had this glazed over look of ‘ _holy crap what is going on’,_ then I think, I think, her mind just kind of imploded in on itself,” Ophelia and I burst out in a fit of giggles, “then when she finally was able to pull herself back together, she just went into a slew of questions. Most of which related to different conspiracy theories.”

Ophelia and I started giggling again. Sometimes I forgot what it was like to let my guard down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Halfway through with the story! Thank you to all who have read my story!


	22. Chapter 16: Trigger Scent

“Dorothea, it’s good to see you!” I exclaimed as we embraced.

“It’s good to see you, too,” Dorothea said smiling. The smile disappeared when she saw Crow. “Crow,” she deadpanned.

“Thea,” he returned with the same deadpan.

The tension in the air started getting thinker with each passing second, until Kenny clear his throat.

“Right,” I said thanking the goddesses for the tension release. “Thea this is Kenny, Veronica, Shawn, Ophelia, and Laura. These are the allies I told you about.”

“Allies?” asked Shawn. “I’d hoped we were a little more than allies by now. Friends more like it.”

“Shut up, Shawn!” Veronica spat at him.

“Make me!”

“Okay,” Kenny said pushing them apart, “that’s enough of that.”

Laura held out her hand to Dorothea, who looked at it for a few seconds before taking it in her own and shaking it.

“ _It is nice to meet you,”_ Lu signed, which caused Dorothea’s eyebrows to shoot up.

“CAN YOU NOT HEAR US?! ARE YOU DEAF?!” Thea shouted at Laura.

We all started to laugh.

“She… she… she can hear!” laughed Kenny, doubling over.

“Sh-sh-she’s… mute!” bellowed Veronica.

Dorothea started blushing. “Oh. Sorry.”

Laura waved her hand. “ _It’s fine. You’re not the first, nor will you be the last.”_

“Right, well…” Dorothea said turning around and showing us to the vault that hid the Artifact.

As we stepped into the Great Hall that led to the Vault entrance, the ground began to shake.

“The hell’s happening?” asked Shawn.

“The hell if I know!” Dorothea exclaimed.

“Well, well, if it isn’t the runaways,” said an eerily calm voice behind us.

We turned and came face-to-face with Hunter, Tyrone, and Dr. Bates. All of Hela’s underlings.

I saw the Pack seize up at the sight of Bates.

“Thea!” screeched Crow, rounding on her, “what is the meaning of this!”

“How should I know?! I told them to fuck off!”

“Yes,” interrupted Bates, “she was adamant about not helping us. But we’re not here for the Artifact. We’re here for them,” he pointed to the Pack.

“We’ll never go back with you,” shouted Shawn.

“We’ll _die_ before that happens!”

“ _Monster!”_

“I was hoping you’d say that,” Bates said calmly as he extracted something from his jacket pocket.

It looked almost like a gun, but it wasn’t. The Pack all took a step back at the sight of it. He started to screw something to the front of it.

I could feel the panic rising in the air.

Tyrone (the crazy one) began laughing maniacally.

“You all are about to see what a monster truly is,” he said as he pointed the gun at Laura.

He fired and once it made contact with Laura, it broke apart and red gas came out.

Her reaction was nearly instantaneous. Her hand flew to cover her mouth and nose, while the others stepped away from her, and Kenny put up a barrier between us and her.

Laura staggered clutching her mouth and nose. Her eyes started getting bloodshot.

“Oscar, get away from there!” came Kenny’s panicked voice.

I turned to see the Pack’s panicked and fearful faces.

“Why? What’s wrong?” asked Dorothea.

“She was just hit with her Trigger Scent! Whoever he wants her to kill, she will!”

I gasped and I turned back around to find Laura pacing back and forth in front of the barrier, with a half-crazed look in her eye, claws drawn.

She struck the barrier, but her strike simply bounced off it. She snarled silently. And continued pacing.

“Kenny, how long can you keep this barrier up?” I asked not taking my eyes off of Laura.

“Few minutes. It starts giving me a migraine after a while.”

“And once it’s down?”

Kenny didn’t answer, which was all the answer I needed.

And so it went, for several minutes Laura paced back and forth occasionally striking the barrier; until slowly it started coming down. When it got low enough Laura leaped over it and grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and threw me against a wall.

“Laura!” I exclaimed as she stalked towards me.

She grabbed me by the throat and held me against the wall, she was a lot stronger than she seemed. Her eyes were completely bloodshot red and she looked crazed. She held up her hand, with her claws drawn and poised at my head.

She had no control over her actions. And she wouldn’t until it was over.

“It’s okay,” I told her, as I looked in her beautiful brown eyes. “It’s okay. I don’t blame you. It’s not your fault. It’s not your fault.”

I had to reassure her. She’d blame herself for my death as much as all the others. While it was slightly annoying to have to die, again, so soon after I’d reincarnated. It hurt worse because it was Laura who was the one to have to kill.

Her hand started shaking, and she started looking for strained than crazed.

“ _Well?! What are you waiting for?! KILL HIM!”_

Slowly, very slowly, her claws started receding back into her hand.

Someone gasped, I didn’t know who.

“They’ve Mated. She can’t harm him. None of us can.”

“ _NOOOOOO!!!!!!!”_

Laura let go of my shirt, and her bloodshot eyes gradually whiten again.

“Laura?”

She nodded.

“ _YOU STUPID BITCH!”_ screamed an enraged Bates.

We spun around to find Bates seething with anger.

“KILL HER! KILL THEM ALL!” he screamed.

But before Hunter or Tyrone could take a single step forward Veronica’s nails shot forward impaling them both in the forehead. They were dead before they hit the floor.

“So sorry to interrupt you,” she said scathingly.

I looked at the other Pack members and their once terrified faces now held murder.

“So, it seems we have our Alpha Male, doesn’t it?” asked a nonchalant Shawn.

Veronica hummed in agreement, her nails reaching the floor.

“We’ll discuss this later,” said Kenny.

“Alpha,” Veronica said not taking her eyes off of Bates, who looked terrified, “I know you out of all of us deserve this man’s death. But do you mind if I take care of him?”

Laura slowly shook her head no.

Veronica flicked up one of her arms and Bates screamed in agony as one of his arms was severed in five different places. She did the same to his other arm and legs. Finally, she severed his head from his body.  


	23. Chapter 17: The Fire Artifact

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, it's so late in the day, with the semester starting back up I've got homework and a lot of it.

“Wow,” was all that Crow could say as Veronica reeled her nails back into their original size.

“Yeah, remind me never to piss you guys off,” Dorothea said staring wide eyed at the five of them.

“Hold up!” Crow said turning to me and Laura, pointing accusatorily. “When did the two of you have sex?!”

“Umm… after the ball,” I said rubbing the back of my head.

I think Crow stopped working after that.

“Right, can we get this stupid Artifact and _go!”_ Shawn complained.

“Yes, this way,” said Dorothea gathering her wits and leading us towards the vault entrance.

“Oz,” she said turning to look at me over her shoulder as she walked, “you know what this means right?”

“That Hela has no more underlings,” Crow finished.

“Yes, exactly.”

“She’ll get angry and desperate when they don’t come back.”

I hummed.

“I feel like I have this huge weight off my shoulders,” I overheard Ophelia telling Kenny in hushed voices.

“I agree. Now we don’t have to worry about being captured again.”

I couldn’t help but smile. After all, they’d been through at Bates’ hands, now that they never had to worry about him, probably did feel great for them. They didn’t have to constantly look over their shoulders now.

“Wait,” I said making everyone stop and look at me. “Your left arms, can I see them?”

The Pack glanced at each other, before lifting up their left sleeves and revealing their brands.

TSWPKN023, for Laura. TSWPKN011, for Veronica. TSWPKN013, for Kenny. TSWPKN008, for Ophelia. TSWPKN017, for Shawn.

They all looked like they were burned into the skin. I held out my hand and concentrated. My hand started glowing green, similar to Laura’s Gift.

The Pack gasped and turned their arms over, examining the now clear skin.

They all looked up at me amazed.

“How…?”

I shrugged. It really wasn’t that big of a deal. I hardly used any magic to clear away the brand.

“I’ve been meaning to do it for a while. I figured now was as good a time as any.”

Next thing I know, I was being crushed by five sets of arms.

“You’re welcome,” I choked out.

“Yes, yes, thank you, Oscar!” exclaimed a teary eyed Veronica.

“You have no idea what this does for us!”

“You didn’t have to!”

“Thank you so much!”

“ _Now we never have to look at them again. We don’t have to cover them up now.”_

Laura kissed my cheek.

Dorothea cleared her throat.

“Right! Yes! The Vault!” I said turning back to face Crow and Thea who were smiling.

“This way.”

We came to the end of a long corridor.

“Umm… there’s nothing here,” said Shawn.

Dorothea looked at him from over her shoulder and rolled her eyes. She pulled open a hidden panel on the wall and punched in a code, scanned both her hand and her retina.

Let it never be said that Dorothea did things halfway.

A seam appeared on the wall and started to pull away to reveal a steel door. She turned the wheel in the center of the door until it clicked then pulled the door open to reveal another hallway to another steel door. Dorothea repeated this process until the door opened to reveal the vault housing the Artifact.

It stood in the center of the room on a pedestal. I walked forward and grasped the Lamp of Fire by its handles and removed it from the vault.

“That’s three down,” said Crow once we made it back to the Great Hall. “One more to go.”

“Will you be staying in Vulca for a while?” Dorothea asked.

I shook my head. “No, we need to head to Vera. The Artifact there will probably be much harder to find than the other three. We can’t waste much time. Now especially because Hela has no more allies.”

Dorothea nodded. “I can call in a favor to get you all a ship to take you to Dover.”

“Thank you, Dorothea.”

“Is… there anything else I can do to help?” she asked.

I shook my head.

“No, you’ve done more than enough for me. You have my gratitude, Thea. Also, tell your wife I said hello.”

Dorothea smiled. “I will be glad too.”

Crow looked like his jaw was ready to disconnect from his skull.

“Wh-what?” he said flabbergasted.

“It’ll take me about an hour to arrange something,” Dorothea said ignoring Crow.

She walked away pulling out her phone to start making phone calls.

“C’mon buddy,” Kenny said patting Crow on the shoulder as he leads Crow away still in a daze.

I turned back to Dorothea and let her know to call Crow when everything was ready. She nodded and focused back on her call.

“ _Can we go get something to eat?”_ asked Laura. “ _I'm something other than flavorless gruel.”_

I chuckled and gave her a lopsided smile.

“I don’t see why not. We have an hour before we need to leave.”

“I think I speak for everyone,” said Kenny looking over at us from over his shoulder, “when I say: I could go for some food.”

“Yes! I completely agree!” declared Shawn.

“Yeah, especially considering how we’re gonna be in another shuttle again, for who knows how long,” murmured Veronica, side-eying Shawn with a sly smirk.

Shawn paled and the smile fell from his face.

“Calm down, Shawn,” I said clapping him on his shoulder. “Vera isn’t that far from here. It isn’t like from here to Aurora.”

“Well, that makes me feel a little better,” he said rubbing the back of his head nervously.

“Also, I’d like to thank you all for helping me so far,” I said addressing each of them in turn.

“Of course.”

“Yeah, this has been the most fun we’ve had in… what? A hundred and thirty years?” Veronica laughed.

The other nodded in agreement.

“Still, thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Oz. But thank us properly once this is all said and done.”

I nodded, hoping against all hope that everyone who stood around me would still be here once it _was_ all said and done.

“C’mon, let’s go get something to eat.”


	24. Chapter 18: Past Unveiled

“Again, thank you, Thea,” I said looking back at her, smiling.

“Of course. Be careful, all of you. Dover still isn’t safe. Be on your guard.” Dorothea said looking at each of us individually.

“Don’t worry about us,” Veronica said with a smile as she and Ophelia hefted Shawn’s unconscious body into the shuttle.

Due to the massive amounts of complaining he was doing, Veronica, in a fit of irritation, had (she said it was an accident, but I don’t really think it was) clubbed him over the head and knocked him out.

“Ready?” asked the pilot.

Crow nodded as everyone filed into the shuttle. Dorothea waved as the doors closed and dust was sprayed everywhere.

“What’s the weather like in Vera?” asked Kenny.

“A lot like the weather in Mantle,” I told them.

There was a collective sigh of relief from the (conscious) Pack.

“That’s a relief,” said Ophelia.

“We’ve gone from one extreme to the other,” said Kenny.

“ _It’ll be nice to have normal temperatures,”_ said Laura who was pulling out some clothes from her bag.

She jerked her head in the direction of the bathroom, indicating for me to follow her. I grabbed a change of clothes as well, figuring I could change along with her.

I shut the door behind us and turning to find her taking off the dusty desert clothes.

“Did you want to talk about something?” I asked after she’d taken her top and gloves off.

_“Sort of, mostly I just… oh, I don’t really know.”_ She said with a shrug.

I pulled off my shirt, and unfortunately got a mouth full of sand, and proceed to cough my lungs out. When I finished, Laura was doubled over with silent laughter.

“Oh, sure!” I said voice dripping with sarcasm, “make fun of me.”

This just made Lu laugh harder.

I rolled my eyes (smiling at her cuteness) and finished undressing. I put on a pair of khakis and a black button-up. By the time I’d finished dressing, Lu was finally catching her breath and fanning her face with a few tears running down her face.

“It wasn’t that funny, Lu!”

“ _It really was, though.”_

I sighed in frustration while rolling my eyes. But I couldn’t help but smile at her happiness.

She pulled on a dark green knitted sweater that was a little too big for her and hung off one of her shoulders and ended at her fingers and a pair of black shorts.

“ _What does that Lamp do?”_ she asked after she finished dressing.

“It enhances someone’s natural abilities and Gift.”

“ _That all?”_

I chuckled at her expression. “Pretty much, yeah.”

“ _So Ultimate Knowledge, Healing, and Unlimited Power.”_

“Yeah.”

Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.

“Lu, why don’t we join the others? I want to tell you all something.”

She nodded as we left the room to rejoin the others.

Everyone had changed out of the desert clothes and into something much more comfortable, and Shawn had regained consciousness.

“Everyone, I have something I want to tell you.”

Everyone’s head turned to face me as the conversation died down.

I took a reassuring breath before starting, “I told you that I knew Hela growing up. And how we trained together. What I didn’t tell you was…” I glanced at Laura before I continued, “I… grew to… care… about her. Though, she never felt the same. But she used my feelings against me. She wanted, and probably still does, to subjugate the people of Almer under her rule. She wanted to enslave the Humans and Hybrids to do her bidding. And… I blindly went along with it. I thought I was doing a good thing. I… have never been more wrong. It is my greatest mistake and regret. We ended up having, I suppose you could call it a falling out, and she ended up killing me. That’s when the goddesses cursed me,” I looked down at my hands feeling bitter, “They also cursed her, as well. I don’t know what they did to her. But she can’t die. I know because I asked the Spirit of the Fan years ago, and it told me I couldn’t kill her. But it also told me that someone could. I don’t know how but…” I trailed off, not knowing what else to say.

Laura placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, with a kind smile.

“Oz,” Crow said breaking the silence, “I… had no idea.”

“She… did that to you?” asked Ophelia.

“That’s not… all she did,” I said quietly.

“What else could she have done?”

“I ended up getting married, and I had children. Three little girls. Seven, five, and three.”

The Pack and Crow looked horrified. Ophelia covered her mouth and shook her head.

“The night I died the first time, I was trying to take my girls away from Hela, but she caught me and…” I couldn’t finish the sentence. Their deaths were still too painful.

Everyone looked horrified.

“She… she killed your children and your wife?”

“Yes, she did.”

“How…” Ophelia’s voice shook, her clenched fisted shook and her angry eyes misted with unshed tears, “how could anyone be that cruel?! And then get pissed at _you_ like it was all _your_ fault!”

“Ophelia,” Kenny said solemnly, “you know firsthand how cruel people can be.”

“But _still!_ To blame, _Oscar!_ It’s… it’s… it’s…” she couldn’t seem to come up with the right words.

“She’s right though,” said Veronica. “It is unfair. But that’s the way this damned world works, isn’t it? It’s unfair to everyone.”

Part of me couldn’t believe this! People were defending me and my past mistakes. They weren’t blaming me or accusing me of not seeing what Hela was doing in the first place. But, then again, they would know what it was like to be used. Better than anyone.

“Oscar,” Ophelia said softly, I turned to look at her and she was smiling softly, “We won’t judge you. Even if we do, it wouldn’t change anything. We need you to know that.”

I felt my heart swell with affection for all these people.


	25. Chapter 19: Fall of Sanctuary

“Holy shit,” came Shawn’s shocked voice as we stepped off the shuttle.

The Pack all looked around at the damage that had been done to the town of Van. The town that once housed my Academy. Even after all these months, Van hadn’t gotten much better.

“I knew it’d be bad but,” Veronica trailed off.

“How are we ever going to find the Artifact?” asked Kenny as he pushed away some rubble.

“I bet the Academy’s worse,” Ophelia said.

“It is,” confirmed Crow.

I couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret as I spied the remains of Sanctuary in the distance. I’d been Headmaster at all four of the Academies, but Sanctuary held a special place in my heart. I’d helped design the school, and had Headmastered at Sanctuary the most.

I felt a tap on my shoulder pulling my attention away from Sanctuary. It was Laura with a concerned look on her face.

“ _You okay?”_

“Yeah,” I sighed looking back at Sanctuary, “just didn’t think it is this bad. I didn’t survive the Fall, so I’ve never seen the extent of the damage.”

“Why is Van this bad, if it was the school that was attacked?”

“The ambush spilled over into the city, as more and more people started panicking more and more monsters started coming into the city,” Crow explained. “I thought you all were there?”

“We were. But we never left the school grounds.”

The darkened cloudy sky began to rumble and light flashed.

“C’mon,” said Crow gesturing for us to follow, “let’s find somewhere to stay.”

The rain started pouring as we fought our way through the rubble before we found an inn that was still open and not too badly damaged. The receptionist looked genuinely surprised when the seven of us entered.

“Oh! Hello! How can I help you?”

“We just needed somewhere to get out of the rain,” Crow said shaking rain from his dark hair.

“Oh,” she sounded very disappointed at that. “Are you Slayers?”

“We are,” answered Shawn trying to get rain from his equally dark hair.

“Are ya’ll here to help with the cleanup?” she asked hopefully.

Everyone exchanged looks.

“Yes, we are,” Kenny said slowly.

“Oh thank Lux!” she exclaimed. “It’s been ages since anyone has come to help.”

“Why?” asked Ophelia.

“Because everyone’s afraid of attracting more monsters. And with Professor Greene being dead, and Professor Gillian missing, who’s left to be in charge of rebuilding the school?”

I felt Laura seeking entrance into my mind.

_Yes?_ I asked.

_Professor Greene?_

_Yes, that was my name before. Professor Henry Greene._

_I like Oscar better. And why not go by your real name?_

_It’d be a little odd if Sanctuary had several Headmasters named Oscar Woode._

_Woode? That’s your last name?_

_Yes. Have I not told you?_

_No, you never mentioned it. I like it._

I smiled at Laura who returned the smile.

“Wait,” Crow said pulling us out of our conversation, “what do you mean Professor Gillian is missing?”

“Well, no one’s seen her since the Fall. She’s not dead, no one’s found her body either.”

I felt my heart sink at that.

_Who’s Gillian?_

_She was a friend and ally of mine, as well as the Deputy Headmistress of Sanctuary._

Laura laced her fingers with mine and squeezed. I squeezed back.

Crow looked back at me with sympathy.

“I’m sorry, Oz,” he said quietly so the girl couldn’t hear.

“Are any of the other staff members missing or dead?” I asked.

“A few, but not many? Were you all students?”

 I suddenly remembered that all of us (minus Crow) looked very young. I, myself was around 17.

“You could say that,” Kenny answered.

“We were good friends of the old Headmaster,” Veronica stated.

I felt immense amounts of gratitude to the six people surrounding me.

“You say you were friends of Professor Greene?” asked a voice behind us.

We all turned as the door slammed shut due to the strong wind and rain. A cloaked woman stood in front of us, with her hood pulled down low over her face leaving only her mouth and nose visible.

“We are,” stated Kenny with yellow eyes.

She seemed to study us, before turning back to the door and gesturing for us to follow her. Looking at each other, we decided to follow her, if she was one of my former colleagues, then what was the harm. The wind howled and the rain lashed at us as we followed her, tripping over rubble and slipping in the rain.

Finally, after half an hour of following her, she stopped in front of an old run down house and unlocked the door. She held it open letting us in first. It was dark inside the house, only being lit when the lightning flashed.

“How do you all know Professor Greene?” she asked after closing the door and lighting a few candles casting the room in a warm glow.

“He and I used to work together, and these are some of his former students,” Crow half lied.

The woman, who still hadn’t removed her hood, frowned and seemed to study us again. She pushed past us and led us down a flight of stairs into a basement.

She flicked on the lights, illuminating the sparsely furnished room. With only enough furniture for basic needs.

Finally, she removed her hood, revealing silver-blonde hair, pale skin, and green eyes.

My eyes widen in surprise.

“Gillian?” I breathed.

She smiled friendly at me.

“I figured that was you, Professor Greene.”

Gillian set her gaze on the Pack. Studying them with a cautious gaze. Of course, she would be wary of them. They claimed to be my friends but she didn’t know them.

“Gillian,” her attention turned to Crow.

“Crow, it’s been a while. How have you been?”

“Been better.”

Her attention turned back to the Pack.

“I don’t know who you are, and yet you claim to be friends with Professor Greene.”

“Gillian,” I said stepping forward and leaning on the cane that Albertson gave me, “they are my friends. They have been helping me for a while now. They’ve helped Crow and I gather three of the Artifacts, and they plan on helping me try and defeat Hela.”

“So,” she said sadly, “you’re really going through with it?”

I nodded.


	26. Chapter 20: Meeting the Colleagues

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, this is gonna be a very busy week for me, so I'm going ahead and posting the next chapter today.

“Going through with what?” asked Shawn.

“Shawn,” I said dangerously, “now’s not the time to ask. I’ll tell you later.”

The Pack looked concerned, and Crow and Gillian looked sorrowful.

I knew I should tell them the plan. But I was being a coward. I knew they’d never go for it. And Laura had been so happy recently, I didn’t want to ruin that. It was selfish, I know. But I wanted to be a little selfish for once. If only for a little while.

I’ve come to truly care about all of them. I hadn’t trusted anyone as much I do the people surrounding me right now. Ophelia reminded me of my oldest daughter, her loving kindness and her ability to comfort anyone when needed. And Laura, she reminded me of my first wife. In certain aspects, in others she was Lu.

Despite all that they’d been through, these six people still decided to follow and help me. Knowing the danger. _Despite_ the danger. I felt pride and gratitude towards them all. And I loved them all, fiercely.

“Gillian,” asked Crow, “where are the other teachers? Are they not with you?”

She sighed and rubbed her temples.

“That’s a complicated question. Some of them are on assignment, some have gotten new jobs; some are missing or dead, and some are… gone. Just gone. Not missing or dead, just gone.”

“Gone?”

“It’s like they were wiped off the face of Almer. It’s strange.”

I felt my shoulders slump.

“No, it’s not. It’s Hela. That’s her doing.”

“You’re joking?” asked an incredulous Kenny.

I ran my hand through my hair.

“I wish I was. I honestly do. But I’m not.”

“So she can make people disappear?” asked Ophelia.

“To put it simply, yes.”

“Stars!”

“Language!” exclaimed Gillian.

 Shawn looked like he wanted to say something else, but V gripped his arm making his glared turn on her, thus forcing Kenny to pull them apart before an argument could break out between them.

_Yeah,_ I thought to myself, _they wouldn’t have done well at my Academy. Or any of the Academies. Shawn and Veronica would have been thrown out fairly quickly._

I smiled to myself as I observed them. Lu, Kenny, and Ophelia would’ve fared better, but I don’t think they would have been able to sit still and listen to the lectures for very long. At least on things they knew better than anyone else.

Though, I would have been honored to have all of them as my students. But our relationship would’ve been vastly different than how it was now. So many what ifs. But none of it mattered now. I looked fondly at the six people around me. My family.

“Okay, so I’ve got a question. Who are all of you?” Gillian asked pointing to the Pack.

“Right,” I said smiling, “Gillian let me introduce you to the Pack. This is Kenny, Shawn, Veronica, Ophelia, and their leader Laura.” I told her indicating each one as I introduced them.

“How old are all of you?”

“About 24 to 17,” Kenny said not a complete lie.

Gillian didn’t seem to believe them.

“Gillian,” her attention turned to me, “the Artifact? Is it still safe?”

“Yes, of course. I haven’t been able to get to it, but I know it’s still there. I’ve been watching over the remains of the Academy since you died.”

I nodded feeling relieved. Hela hadn’t gotten to it yet.

“Once the rain lets up, we’ll need to go to the Academy.”

Gillian looked at me with concern.

“Are you sure you want to go up there? It’s not pretty.”

“I appreciate the concern, Gillian. But I think we’ll be able to handle it,” I said kindly.

“Yeah, we’ve all been through a lot,” grinned Shawn.

“What about the Artifact? How are ya’ll going to find it?”

“Luckily,” Crow clapped me on the shoulder, smiling, “we’ve got the very person who hid it.”

“Yeah, hopefully, it shouldn’t be too offly hard to find,” Shawn said pushing Veronica away from him, who was trying to smack him over the head probably for something he’d said.

“Goddess I hate you,” seethed Veronica.

“What happened _now?”_ asked an exasperated Ophelia.

Veronica grumbled something inaudible while glaring at Shawn, who ignored her.

Gillian confusingly looked at the two of them.

“Does that happen often?”

“Yes,” said everyone in unison.

“ _Yes,”_ Laura signed.

That caught Gillian’s attention.

“Can you not hear?” she asked making sure to enunciate each word clearly.

Laura shook her head.

“ _No I can hear perfectly fine, but I can’t speak.”_

Kenny had to translate what she said for Gillian. Once he’d finished Gillian blushed a little, embarrassed.

“Oh, I see.”

The lights flickered after a particularly loud clap of thunder. The Pack flinched at the sound. Not liking the loud noise due to their animal-like senses.

“Are ya’ll okay?” asked Gillian.

“Yeah,” Veronica said shakily, “we’re fine.”

“How long is this storm gonna last?” asked Ophelia.

“Hopefully not long, are ya’ll hungry? I can make ya’ll something.”

“Oh yes please!” exclaimed Veronica with yellow eyes.

“Give me a minute and I’ll make ya’ll something. Here, sit.” She gestured to the various chairs and couches in the basement.

While Gillian busied herself with making us something to eat, the seven of us sat in a comfortable silence. Laura leaned her head against my shoulder and closed her eyes. I draped an arm around her and held her close.

“So Professor Greene?” Kenny asked breaking the silence after a while.

I chuckled at it.

“Well, it would be odd if there were several Headmasters of Sanctuary named Oscar Woode.”

“Woode? That’s your last name?” asked Veronica.

“Yes, it is. And before you ask: I went by the name Henry Greene in my previous life. And yes, Oscar Woode is my real name.”

The Pack (minus Laura) smiled.

“Oscar, we are glad we met you. You’ve done so much for the five of us. We can never repay you for your kindness.”

“I could say the same about all of you.”

“Food’s ready!”


	27. Chapter 21: Sanctuary Academy

The rain lasted for two days straight, not once letting up. The Pack not being too happy about it.

“Is the weather _always_ like this?” whined Veronica.

“Not always,” I assured her.

She whimpered covering her ears after another loud clap of thunder.

“We picked the worse time to come here!” stated Shawn.

“For once, I agree with you,” said Veronica.

Shawn looked over at her in surprise.

“Don’t let it go to your head!”

I left the two to them to their half-hearted bickering and wondered over to where Laura and Crow were. Laura was clutching the bridge of her nose with a pained expression on her face with her eyes closed.

“Are you alright?” I asked touching her shoulder to let her know I was there.

“ _Migraine,”_ she sloppily signed.

“Is it because of the storm?”

She shrugged her shoulders.

“The weather usually isn’t this bad. Especially at this time of year,” Crow said handing Laura some more pain killers. Due to her high metabolism, her body burned through the pills too fast for them to start working.

Laura felt around blindly for a chair to sit in, plopping down in one once she’d found one. I stood behind her and started messaging her scalp in an attempt to help ease her migraine.

“That helping?” I asked quietly.

She gave the smallest of nods.

The basement door slammed open with Gillian coming down the stairs, arms laden with supplies, and closing the door again with her foot.

“I’m sorry about the weather, it wasn’t supposed to rain this badly,” she panted as she hefted the supplies on one of the counters.

“Do you control the weather?” asked a weary Kenny.

“Sadly, no,” she replied unpacking the bags she had gotten.

There was a collective groan from the Pack.

“Why is it affecting all of you guys so much?” asked Crow.

“We’re part animal, remember?” said Ophelia who had pale pink skin instead of her normal light brown, and was slumped against a table. “We have the senses of animals. All this thunder is giving us crap-tastic headaches.”

“Well the good news is: that it seems like the storm is letting up,” informed Gillian.

There was a collective (and half-hearted) ‘yay’ from the Pack.

I felt so bad for all of them. They were all miserable being stuck down here with nowhere to go, and nothing to do but wait.

But, true to her word, a few hours later the rain finally stopped. The Pack very nearly ran out of the basement.

“ _Finally!”_ exclaimed Shawn taking a deep breath of fresh air.

Laura calmly walked up the stairs, her migraine still raging, but she smiled wearily once she joined the others outside.

“Can we leave and go to Sanctuary?” asked an equally weary Veronica. “And I think I speak for everyone, if I have to spend one more minute in that damned basement I think I might smash my head against the wall.”

The Pack nodded in agreement.

“Yes we can,” said Gillian smiling apologetically. “If ya’ll want to follow me I can take ya’ll to Sanctuary.”

We followed Gillian to the base of the White Cliffs of Van were above us sat my beloved Academy.

“You got the elevator working again?” asked an amazed Crow.

“Yes, it was one of the first things I tried fixing,” Gillian said standing back up and wiping her hands.

“That is awesome, Gillian.”

“Thank you,” she preened at the praise.

 It took us a few minutes to reach the top of the cliffs.

“Oh, my goddesses!” exclaimed Ophelia when we reached the top. Her exclamation seemed accurate. Barely anything that once stood on the grounds of the campus was now nothing up rubble and ruin. I felt a stab of sorrow and regret go through me at the devastating sight of my once beloved Academy.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, I turned around I see Laura (who now wore sunglasses to help with the migraine) with a frown. I patted her hand, with what I hoped was a winning smile.

“Don’t worry I’ll be fine. C’mon, let’s try and find what would be the entrance to the vault.”

“How can you be so sure it’s still standing?” asked Ophelia.

I turned and gave her a lopsided smile, “Because our vault is underground.”

We trudged through the ruins of my school slipping and stumbling all the way to what used to be the giant clock tower and the home of my office, but what was now nothing more than rubble. Unfortunately, a massive slab of clock tower sat on top of the entrance of the vault.

“Shit,” I quietly cursed to myself.

“What’s the matter?” asked Ophelia who was now starting to look more like herself.

“This,” I gestured to the chunk of debris, “is blocking the entrance to the vault.”

Laura put her hand on my forearm as she stepped forward, smiling.

“What are you planning?” I asked arching an eyebrow.

Her smile turned into a mischievous smirk as both hands glowed yellow. She held her hands out in front of her and the bit of clock tower began to glow misty yellow as well. She moved the slab of debris away from the entrance of the vault, to reveal what almost looked like an entrance to a cellar. Once she’d set the boulder down, I hugged her on an impulse to which she seized up at the sudden contact.

“Sorry,” I said quickly letting her go.

_“It’s fine,”_ she said giving me a weak smile.

“So, how do we open it?” asked Veronica gazing down at the entrance.

She, along with rest of the Pack gazed down at the steel double doors, which looked like they could withstand another Great War.

“Like this,” I said handing my cane to Laura, as I walked up to it and entered in a code.

Once I’d finished entering in the code and stood back up, you could hear several gears and clicks sound as the doors slowly opened to reveal a darkened corridor.

“Follow me,” I said descending the stairs into the vault.


	28. Chapter 22: The Final Artifact

“Wow,” Veronica said as everyone entered the dark corridor that leads to the vault, her voice echoing off the walls.

As we started down the corridor the lights on the wall started lighting themselves, illuminating our path.

“Well isn’t that fancy!” exclaimed a snarky Shawn. “OW!” I’m assuming Veronica hit him over the head.

“To be completely honest Oz, this is a little underwhelming,” commented Kenny, looking around.

“That’s the whole point,” replied Crow.

“I specifically designed this area to be ‘underwhelming’ as you put it. The vaults of Oase and Zima Academy both are fairly conspicuous. I made sure that the vaults of Ombra and Sanctuary weren’t.”

“Wait! Did you design the Academies?” asked Shawn.

“Two of them, yes.”

“That’s… actually pretty cool.”

I turned to look at him from over my shoulder and grinned at him.

“Thank you.”

“How long is this hallway?” asked Kenny. “I can’t see the end.”

“Don’t worry we’re almost there,” I told them.

I stopped in the middle of the hallway and turned to face the wall and peeled back a bit of the wall to reveal another code panel. After entering in another code an aperture opened in the floor to reveal a steel platform that descends into the actual vault.

“All aboard,” I said smirking at the amazed looks on all my friends' faces as they stared at the platform.

Everyone quickly piled onto the platform, which began to descend slowly several floors down until it came to rest at the bottom.

“Umm… are you sure this is the right place?” asked a confused Veronica.

“Positive.”

“Buuuut… there’s nothing but rocks in here,” said Shawn confused.

There was nothing but rocks all along the floor of the room. There were rocks of different shapes, sizes, and colors. Some as big as a boulder and some of them were as small as gravel.

“That’s the point. See, the Earth Artifact is shaped like a stone.”

“So you hid it in plain sight. Nice!” exclaimed Ophelia.

“Yes, very clever, Oz,” said Veronica looking impressed.

“Thank you,” I smiled at them.

“How are we gonna find it? It’ll be like trying to find a needle in a haystack.”

“Not if you know what you’re looking for.”

“How so?”

“The Artifact has a very distinct marking.”

“Alright, I think we’ll let _you_ handle this one.”

“I’d planned on it all along.”

It didn’t take me too long to locate the Earth Artifact. I held the Stone out for them to see it. It was about the size of my palm with green and black streaks in it.

“It doesn’t really seem that special. What does it do?”

“The Earth Artifact represents strength. It works best when combined with one of the other Artifacts. It’ll increase the strength of one of the other Artifacts along with someone’s natural strength.”

Shawn looked back up to me with a half confused half questioning look on his face.

“Is it working?” he asked.

“Is what working?”

He pointed to the Stone in my hand.

“Is it increasing your strength? I mean, you are holding it.”

I smirked.

“No, it isn’t. It doesn’t work like that. For one thing, you have to _want_ it to increase your strength. I currently don’t want it too.”

“Can I try it?” he asked hopefully.

V smacked him over the head.

“No, you _idiot!”_

“OW!” he whined rubbing his head. “Will you stop _doing that?!”_

“Never.”

“I hate you!”

“Can you _please_ not do this right now?” came Kenny’s wary voice.

They both huffed and folded their arms.

“Come on, let’s get back up to the surface. I don’t really like being underground any longer than I have to be,” said Ophelia folding her arms in discomfort and looking a bit paler.

“Yes we can go back up to the surface,” I conceded.

“Thank you.”

 

Once we made it back outside and I’d reclosed the vault doors I turned to find Laura with yellow eyes and her hands glowing.

“What are you doing?” I asked feeling a little nervous.

She gestured with her head for me to move. Once I had, she held her hands out in front of her and to mine, Crow and Gillian’s utter amazement the old clock tower began to rebuild itself. Pieces of the rubble and debris flew back together until the clock tower stood once more.

I turned slowly to face Laura, shock was plainly written all over my face.

“How? Why?”

She shrugged.

“ _Because it’s important to you. I can’t fix the entire Academy, but I can do this much.”_

I pulled her into a warm embrace, burying my nose in her hair and inhaling deeply. Feeling a great amount of love for this woman at that moment.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

She nodded against my chest.

“You didn’t have to do this.”

_I wanted to. You’ve done so much for me and my Pack these past few months, I felt it was the least I could do._

I pulled away from her and cupped her face in my hands and stroked her cheeks with the pads of my thumbs. For the second time since I’d met her, Laura smiled. A real genuine smile and she looked happy. So very happy. I felt a pang of guilt at what I was asking her and her family to do.

“You know,” I said to no one in particular, “you don’t have to follow me anymore. I can do the rest of this on my own. No one else needs to die.”

“Don’t be stupid, Oz,” said Crow.

“Yeah, we follow you willingly.”

“ _There is so much good in this world, and it’s worth fighting for,”_ said Laura. “ _We never experienced it, but that doesn’t mean that others shouldn’t.”_

“Oscar, you helped us see the good in people. All of us are different people thanks to you.”

“We will see this through to the end.”

“If we die, then we die on our terms. Not someone else’s.”

“Thank you. All of you.”


	29. Chapter 23: The End Game

I lined all of the Artifacts up in a line on the table in front of everyone. Gillian had left us to try and recruit more people to try and rebuild the Academy.

“So, now that we have all the Artifacts, what now?” asked Veronica picking up the Fan and turning it slowly over in her hands.

“Now,” I said taking a deep breath, folding it for a few seconds then releasing it, “we have to confront Hela.”

“Well, where is she?” asked Kenny.

“The Badlands.”

The Pack and Crow exchanged worried looks.

“The Badlands? But they’re completely desolate. Why would she be there?”

I sat down heavily on a chair and ran my fingers through my hair tugging them slightly.

“They weren’t always so desolate. Once the continent was prosperous.”

“Then Hela happen.”

“Then Hela happen,” I agreed.

I looked up and made sure to make eye contact with the six people who surrounded me, my gaze lingering on Laura a little longer than the others.

“None of you have to come with me. I don’t want anyone else to die because of me.”

“Will you stop that!” exclaimed Veronica sounding slightly annoyed.

My head whipped around to her. She was smiling. They all were.

“We’ve told you already, we’ll see this through to the bitter end,” she said.

“Yeah man,” said Shawn, “you’re one of us now.”

“Both of you,” said Kenny clapping Crow on the shoulder.

Crow gasped dramatically and looked close to tears.

“I feel so honored!”

 Kenny chuckled a little at Crow’s theatrics.

I smiled rather sadly at them all. Feeling a mixture of sorrow and happiness at all of them.

“Thank you. I guess I just needed to hear you all say it again.”

“ _We will not turn our backs on you. That’s happened enough for all of us to last several lifetimes, love.”_

I felt my shoulders slump as I sighed deeply.

“There’s one more thing I need to tell you. Crow knows this.”

The Pack glanced at each other.

“What is it, Oscar?”

“The reason I needed all of the Artifacts…” I felt my throat close up and a knot form in my throat in protest of what I was going to tell them.

None of them said anything, waiting patiently for me to continue at my own pace.

“In theory, I should, hopefully, be able to finally overpower Hela with the combined power of all the Artifacts.”

“And if not?”

“If not… if not…” I turned my gaze to Laura. “If not, Laura I want you to destroy them. You’re the only one who could. We cannot let Hela get her hands on them. If she does it’s all over. Also if they’re all destroyed she might also be weakened. But…” I paused not wanting to say what else would happen.

“But?”

“But there’s also the chance it could kill me…”

There was a loud crash that made us all jump. I turned to look at Laura, whose chest was heaving and she looked like she was on the verge of tears, but she looked angry.

“ _NO! I will not!”_ she signed angrily.

“Laura,” I said slowly, “you have to. We can’t let her get them. If she does then that’s it. It’s all over. We would’ve done all of this for nothing. And there’s the chance it might not kill me. It’s only a theory. I don’t know for sure. Honestly.”

She didn’t look comforted in the slightest.

“As much as I hate to admit it,” said Crow folding his arms, he’d never approved of the plan from the beginning, “he is right, Laura. You are the only one of us that is strong enough to destroy the Artifacts.”

“You’re also the only one who, I think, can stand a chance against Hela,” I added. “I’m sorry, Laura. You shouldn’t be the one who does it. It’s not fair.”

“ _You’re right. It’s not! But I stand by my earlier statement. I will never turn my back on you.”_

“How do we get to the Badlands?” asked Ophelia.

“By boat,” I said quickly.

“You’ve thought of everything, haven’t you?” she asked putting a hand on her hip, smirking.

“Hopefully,” I said returning the smirk, “I have.”

Laura still looked upset and unconvinced.

“Guys,” I said addressing everyone, “could you please give a moment alone?”

“Yeah, sure.”

Everyone filed out of the room, leaving Laura and I alone.

She folded her arms and looked at me expectantly.

“Laura, I know I am asking a lot from you, I know, but you are the _only_ one I think who stands a chance of beating her. And if destroying the Artifacts and me dying is the only way to do that, then I’m willing to make that sacrifice.”

“ _I know you are! And I’m willing to destroy those stupid Artifacts…”_ she took a deep shaky breath, “ _I’m not willing to sacrifice you. I… I don’t want to lose you. You’ve helped me and my family heal from our past. Most of all me! You’ve helped me see that there is good in this stupid world! And I don’t want to give that up! As selfish as that sounds!”_

I stared, stunned into Lu’s brown eyes, mouth agape.

I turned my back to her and started digging through my pack. Searching for something important. It took me a few minutes, but I found what I was looking for.

I turned back to her, clenching the object in my fist.

“Lu, I want to give you something. Something that means a great deal to me.”

I held out the necklace to her. It was an eagle star-shaped silver pendant that hung on a silver chain. She looked at it in veneration.

“So you’ll always have a piece of me no matter what,” I told her quietly. “Can I put it on you?”

She pursed her trembling lips and nodded. She turned her back to me and pulled her hair to the side, I clasped the chain around her throat. When she turned back around I adjusted the pendant so it was facing the right way.

“You look beautiful.”


	30. Chapter 24: The Beginning of the End

“So it should take us about a week to reach the Badlands,” I said drawing out the route on a map of Almer as we all sat on the deck of the boat we were on. “Sorry, Shawn.”

I received a whine from said person, who was slumped against the table.

“I hate traveling,” Shawn whined.

“Yes we are all very well aware of that,” said Veronica who was mostly ignoring him.

We’d been out on the ocean for about a day, with nothing happening all that much. Which surprised me, considering how we had all four of the Artifacts. We should have been attacked by Monsters by now. But nothing’s happened. The others felt the same as me. But none of us could explain why we weren’t being attacked left, right and center.

Just then, Laura came up from below deck, having had taken a long relaxing bath. Her hair was still wet and she wore a light gray shirt and blue jean shorts, she looked very comfortable. Also, around her necklace, she wore the necklace I gave her yesterday. It was something I’d given my first wife. I felt she deserved to have, especially if I didn’t make it through this alive.

I hated thinking about the possibility of dying again. I’d grown attached to all of them. I’d grown to love and cherish them all, Laura most of all. Though I hadn’t told her I loved her out loud. Slightly afraid that if I died during the confrontation or needing her to destroy the Artifacts would make it so much harder for her. Goddesses I was being so selfish! I’d come to realize something after I gave her that necklace; that was that I would rather spend one lifetime with her, then face all of the ages of this world alone.

She smiled at me as she joined us at the table. I could smell the soap she used during her bath, which smelled wonderful. Which only made me feel worse.

I pulled her snug against me, wanting to keep her as close to me as I could. Not wanting to let her go. I’d love people before but never like this. Never this completely. The six people that sat and/or slumped around me meant so much to me. They’d all been through so much, even before this journey started and they still chose to help me. Even with so little information they trusted me. Believed in me. Put what little faith they still had in me. I couldn’t have asked for better friends.

For the first time in a long time, I started praying. I prayed that They’d let them survive and live the happy lives they should have. I prayed that my friends could find their happiness. Though part of me knew They wouldn’t listen to me, I had to try nonetheless. I hoped and prayed They listen just this once to me.

They all deserved to be happy. I loved them. I loved them completely.

“You alright, Oz?”

I took a deep shuttering breath.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“This is going to work.”

Everyone looked at me hopefully.

“I hope so too.”

“Try and be more positive!” said Veronica.

“Which is a lot coming from us, because we used to be very pessimistic.”

“Yeah, look at us being optimistic!”

Everyone chuckled at that.

“I’m very glad I met all of you,” I told them.

They smiled happily at me.

“We are very glad we met you as well.”

“You helped us see the beauty in the world and not just the darkness.”

“You showed me that I could do something good in the world,” said Crow.

“You’ve done so much for everyone and this world.”

Lu pressed her lips to my temple, making me smile.

I walked with Lu around the boat, hand-in-hand, happy. I wrapped my arms around her middle and rested my head on her shoulder.

“You make me very happy,” I told her, whispering it so only she could hear.

I felt her smile against me. I wanted to treasure this week with her, with _them._ I’d grown to love and treasure each and every one of them. I hadn’t told any of them, I… always have had a hard time telling the ones I cared about that I did care about them.

Laura turned around in my arms to face me and threaded her fingers through my hair, smiling sweetly up at me, which I returned to her.

_You cannot defeat Hela, she cannot be killed by you… But… there is another; you shall know her. She is the only one who can defeat Hela. She has been blessed by Lux._

The Spirit of the Fan’s words echoed through my head, and I knew, Laura was the one It had spoken of.

I ran my thumb over her freckled cheek, making her smile more. I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers, Laura responded imminently.

It wasn’t long until we heard some fake retching sounds, pulling apart, we turned and found Shawn staring at us with a smug look.

_Can we help you?_ Laura asked clearly annoyed at being interrupted.

Shawn shrugged nonchalantly. “Not really.”

I could basically feel Laura rolling her eyes, while I couldn’t help but chuckle at his antics.

“ _SHAWN!!!!”_ shouted what sounded like a very angry Veronica.

Shawn visibly paled and quickly ran away, shortly followed by a fuming Veronica.

Laura and I chuckled as we watched them run past.

“ _You know,”_ Laura said once I’d faced her again and perched herself on the railing, “ _contrary to popular belief, they really do care about each other. They, mostly Shawn, like to push each other’s buttons, mostly Shawn.”_

“Yes, I’ve noticed,” I chuckled.

“ _Could I ask you something? Kinda personal?”_

Honestly, I had to think about this for a moment, afraid of what she was going to ask.

“Depends on the question, if I’m honest.”

Laura seemed satisfied with that answer and she smiled at me sweetly.

“ _Your wife, what was she like?”_ she asked slowly.

I took a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, before releasing it.

“A lot like you in some ways, but completely different in others. She had blonde hair and blue eyes, so the two of you look nothing alike, in case you were wondering. She just…” I could feel my throat tightening up and the tears forming in my eyes, even after all these years it was still hard to speak about her. “She was… a really good person… like you… you two would’ve gotten along wonderfully. Sorry, it’s hard to talk about.”

_“You have nothing to apologize for. I shouldn’t have asked. I’m sorry.”_

I chuckled as I wiped away the unshed tears, then wrapped Laura up in a hug.


	31. Chapter 25: The Escape

I woke up a few days later to Laura tracing patterns on my chest.

“Good morning,” I rasped stretching my arms above my head and arching my back hearing it pop.

“ _Good morning.”_

“How long have you been up?” I asked turning my head to face her.

“ _Not long,”_ she clumsily signed due to her awkward position.

I pulled her onto me, so she was sitting on my chest. She looked at me confused.

“Figured you want to be able to talk to me and not hurt your arm.”

She giggled silently.

“Can I ask you something that’s been nagging at me for a while?”

She nodded.

“How did the five of you escape from your captivity?”

She screwed up her face in concentration, making her look adorable. Her little nose was scrunched up and her cheeks puffed out a little. It was adorable.

“ _I can show you,”_ she said her eyes yellow.

I nodded, trusting her.

She held her hand encased in yellow mist energy above my head and flicked her fingers, and next second I was no longer in bed with her.

 

_I watched as Laura, who looked no older than twelve, was dragged unceremoniously from a lone cryo-pod by two brutes. They bound her wrists with white cord and each one wrapped a hand around one of her forearms as they dragged her from the white room. Laura stumbled as they dragged her down solid white hallways. After they’d turned around the corner she seemed to regain her bearings, as she stopped stumbling and stood up straighter. After several people in white lab coats past by Laura stopped dead in her tracks causing the two brutes to turn and glare at her and tug harshly at her arms. She didn’t move a muscle._

_“Keep walking you freak!” commanded the brute on the left._

_Before either of them could blink, Laura had thrown her leg up to the one that had spoken and her foot claw sprouted from his neck, blood spraying the white walls. Before the other could react, Laura twisted and shoved her claws into his chest. Once they were both on the ground she contorted herself to where she was able to cut the cord that bound her wrists together with her foot claw. Once her hands were free, she started running, where I didn’t know._

_She reached a door and ran into it. The room like all the others was white, but this one had lab equipment and four cryopods. She quickly locked the door and made her way over to a datapad and started typing in something, while constantly looking over at the door. As she finished typing in whatever it was, an alarm went off the lights flashing red._

_Laura looked up at the ceiling and swallowed nervously. She pushed a key and the cryopods opened with a hiss to reveal her Pack members asleep. They all looked so young. As they woke up Laura rushed over to the lab equipment and rummaged around in several drawers before she stopped at one of them and slowly pulled out several thick files, she quickly found something to put them in and slung the bag over her shoulder and continued looking through the drawers. She came to the last drawer and pulled out four syringes that read ‘Adrenaline’, she ran back over to them and injected the adrenaline straight into each of their hearts._

_After she injected them, they all shot straight up gasping. Like Laura, they all wore white._

_“Twenty-three,” gasped Kenny, looking to be around nineteen, “what’s going on?!”_

_She pointed to the door._

_Her Pack shakily got to their feet._

_“Are we escaping, Twenty-three?” asked Ophelia no more than fifteen._

_Laura nodded._

_“Lead the way, Twenty-three,” gestured Shawn, he and Veronica looked to be fourteen._

_They sprinted to the door before Laura paused and turned back facing the room. The cryopods glowed yellow before they started to cave in on themselves. The same happened to the equipment in the room. Laura turned back to the door and threw it open and they all started running like their life depended on it, which it probably did. They killed anyone they came across, not even slowing down until they came across a room that looked like a locker room. They went inside and barred the door, panting._

_“Everyone get changed!” commanded Kenny with yellow eyes._

_Everyone nodded and it seemed like they couldn’t get out of the white scrubs fast enough. They quickly pulled on civilian clothes as someone started pounding on the door sounding angry. Ophelia found a tattered old book in the top of one of the lockers and quickly shoved it into the backpack she slung over her shoulders. Once they’d finished they all looked like regular kids._

_“Ready?” Kenny asked, yellow eyes, looking over his shoulder at the others._

_They all tensed and got into a battle stance._

_“Eleven, I’ll need you to take care of the first wave,” he told her._

_Veronica nodded, her nails growing until they reached the floor as the others ducked low to the floor._

_The barricade they set up against the door glowed in a mist yellow and moved aside as the door burst open. But before anyone could step foot in the room they were all sliced into fives, blood going everywhere._

_“RUN!” shouted Kenny._

_They bolted from the room. They tore through the rest of the white walls facility until they found a red Exit sign above double doors. Someone tried blocking their exit, but Laura leapt on them impaling them in the chest and kept running, bursting through the doors to bright white light._

_The scene changed. They were sitting on a moving train, they all looked tired but relieved. Ophelia had her nose buried in the book she’d taken with her._

_“What are you reading, Eight?” Shawn asked her._

_She looked over at him and, using her finger as a bookmark, she showed him the cover. It was a naming book._

_“I figured we’d all want new names, now.”_

_“Oh yeah? Find any that sound good?” Kenny asked stretching out his back a few pops were herd as he did so._

_“I found one I thought you’d like.”_

_“Oh? What would that be?”_

_“Kenneth.”_

_Kenny made a face._

_“Don’t like it? I can keep looking.”_

_“No, it’s not that…”_

_“Why not shorten it?” offered Veronica._

_“To what?”_

_Veronica thought for a moment._

_“What about Kenny!”_

_Kenny pondered on it for a few seconds before his face lit up._

_“Kenny. Yeah, I like it! Kenny!”_

_“What about me?” asked Shawn looking hopeful._

_Ophelia looked back down at the book and flipped through several pages._

_“I think I want my name to start with an S.”_

_“Okay… an S…” mumbled Ophelia as she scanned the pages._

_“Samuel?”_

_“No.”_

_“Scott?”_

_“No.”_

_“Spencer?”_

_“No.”_

_Most of the names she suggested he turned down. I half expected Veronica to start laying into him, but she didn’t. She like the others waited patiently until I realized that this was them picking their names! Of course, they all wanted the perfect ones._

_“Hmmm…. OH! What about this one! Shawn?”_

_Shawn thought for a second before his, like Kenny’s, brightened._

_“I love it! Eleven, what do you think?” he asked looking over at Veronica hopefully._

_“Shawn… I like it too.”_

_“Shawn it is!”_

_Veronica took the book from Ophelia’s hands._

_“Hey!” she exclaimed indignantly._

_“Shush! I’m finding you a name!”_

_Ophelia hesitated before conceding._

_“Oh, very well.”_

_“Any letter you want it to start with?” Veronica asked flipping through the book._

_“Oh, I don’t know.”_

_“O! That’s perfect!”_

_“That’s not…”_

_“Shush!” Veronica interrupted._

_“Octavia?”_

_“No.”_

_“Odette?”_

_“No.”_

_“Odina?”_

_“Definitely not!”_

_Veronica hummed as she flipped the page._

_“Oh! Ophelia?”_

_“Ummm…” Ophelia didn’t seem to know what to think._

_“Ophelia, it suits you,” Kenny said giving her a small smile._

_“I think I do like Ophelia,” she said happily returning the smile._

_Ophelia quickly snatched the book back._

_“I want my name to start with a V!” said Veronica proudly._

_“Okay,” Ophelia flipped the pages._

_“Valarie?”_

_“No.”_

_“Valencia?”_

_“Hard no.”_

_“Vanessa?”_

_“Nope.”_

_“Victoria?”_

_She thought about this for a moment before turning it down._

_“Veronica?”_

_“Yes!” she said imminently._

_“Okay, Twenty-three, you’re the only one left! Twenty-three?”_

_They all looked over at Laura, who hadn’t been paying attention. She was busy constantly scanning the train compartment._

_Veronica gestured for the others to lean in close._

_“Why don’t we pick her name for her?” she whispered._

_“Are you sure? What if she doesn’t like it?” whispered Ophelia._

_“She could always pick another one if she doesn’t like it,” whispered Kenny._

_“True.”_

_Ophelia laid the book flat on the table and they began scourging over it. Looking for their leader’s perfect name. They combed over the book for several minutes before they all decided on a name._

_“Laura,” Ophelia called._

_Laura didn’t move._

_“Laura,” Veronica called to her a little louder._

_She still didn’t seem to hear._

_“Laura,” Kenny called her slightly louder._

_Still nothing._

_“Laura,” Shawn called out to her._

_Still nothing._

_“Laura,” all four of them called._

_Laura’s head whipped around looking confused._

_They smiled at her._

_“Laura,” said Ophelia, “it’s your name. It means victory. We thought it fit you.”_

_Laura blinked, stunned._

_“Laura, it’s a pretty name,” said Kenny._

_“Laura is a strong name for an equally strong woman,” said Veronica._

_“Laura also means honor,” said Shawn._

_Laura seemed stunned, her mouth opened and closed several times, and if she were the type of person, she might have started crying, but she wasn’t so she simply nodded instead._

I found myself back in the cabin of the ship with Laura hovering over me with a smile. Slowly I sat up and cupped one of her cheeks in my hand.

“So, that’s how you escaped and got your names. I always wondered,” I said slowly watching her face.

She leaned into my hand and smiled.

With my free hand, I traced the necklace I gave her.

“Can I tell you something?” I asked still looking at the necklace.

I felt her nod.

“I would rather spend one lifetime with you, than face all the ages of this world alone again.”

She gently tilted my head up for me to look at her.

“I love you, Laura. You don’t have to say it back if you don’t want to, but I wanted you to know.”

For a moment she looked shocked before she smiled and slowly raised her hands.

“ _I. Love. You. Too.”_


	32. Chapter 26: Into the Badlands

We stepped off the boat days later in the Badlands.

“Geez! There’s… _nothing!”_ exclaimed Shawn looking around.

He was right. There was nothing. The Badlands was nothing but a barren wasteland. The once prosperous land was now reduced to nothing, all because of Hela. The ground was split by lack of water, the trees were barren and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.

“Do you have any idea where she’d be?” asked Veronica.

“I have a hunch, follow me,” I said solemnly and began walking away from the boat.

Crow had asked the captain to wait five days for us and if we didn’t come back within that time limit to just leave us.

“Oz, you doing okay?” asked Ophelia as we walked past fallen buildings.

“About as good as to be expected,” I told her.

“Are you sure? If you don’t want to come with us, isn’t fine. We can take her on by ourselves.”

I knew she was just trying to be helpful, I knew it! But I couldn’t let them face Hela alone! They’ve given up enough for me, and she’s taken enough from me.

“ _No!_ I’m not letting you face her alone!” I snapped making them all flinch like I’d hit them and take a step back.

I instantly felt horrible for snapping at them. I took a deep calming breath before saying, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you. I just… don’t want anyone to die because of me. You’ve all given up so much for me and she’s _taken_ so much from me. I just… I want this to be over.” I felt my shoulders slump.

Ophelia put a comforting hand on my shoulder.

“We’re here because we _chose_ to be, not because anyone _forced_ us to be.”

“If we live or die it’s because _we_ chose it! Not someone else.”

“That’s what we always wanted. Free will.”

I smiled at them, grateful for their presences.

“She should be that way,” I told them pointing in the direction of dark clouds.

“Oh really?!” said Shawn sarcastically, “you mean the big bad evil lady is where the dark ominous swirling clouds are? I’d’ve never guessed!”

Everyone laughed at his comment.

“C’mon we should be there in a few hours.”

We walked for another hour or so when we came upon an abandoned village. I knew this village. I’d grown up here, gotten married and had children here.

“Oz,” Crow asked sounding concerned, “you okay?”

I hadn’t realized that I’d stopped walking until I felt a hand on my shoulder, making me jump at the sudden contact. I turned and saw Laura looking at me with concern.

“I’ll be fine, let’s keep going.”

 

The sun had nearly set by the time we arrived at Hela’s palace.

“Well,” huffed Shawn crossing his arms, “if she didn’t check off every evil cliché in the book then I’m not part bird! Dark ominous castle? _Check!_ Ominous clouds? _Check!_ Dark and foreboding presences? _Definitely, check!”_

I smiled despite myself, glad that Shawn was able to keep his sense of humor despite the situation.

“It didn’t always look this way.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt it!”

“She knows we’re here, doesn’t she, Oscar?” asked Crow.

I nodded as the doors opened by themselves.

“She’ll be in her ‘ _throne room’_ ,” I said bitterly using finger air quotes as I said throne room.

They followed me down the dark hallways that lead to the throne room, Crow and I had our weapons drawn and Laura had the Artifacts floating along behind her.

The doors to the throne room were opened and there sitting on the throne in the center of the room was Hela.


	33. Chapter 27: The Final Battle Begins!

Hela slowly stood as we all entered the room. She hadn’t changed since the last time I had seen her. Her skin was nearly white as snow, her eyes completely black and black veins surrounding her eyes and her pitch black hair and black lips. She smiled nastily when she saw me.

“ **Well, well, well,”** came her metallic voice, “ **it’s been a long time hasn’t it, Oscar? Come to try and kill me again? Why do you keep doing this? We both know it’s impossible. Why keep killing yourself and others?”**

“Because you killed my family!”

Hela rolled her eyes.

“ **Are you still not over that? It’s been several millennia since that happened! I apologized for it!”**

Her hands (similar to Laura’s) glowed black. Before I or anyone could react, Hela blasted us with a beam of black energy sending us flying back into the wall. Once I’d regained my bearings I saw that Laura was the only one left standing. In fact, she hadn’t moved a muscle. Laura had put up a yellow energy shield that kept her from moving. This got Hela’s attention.

**“Well, isn’t that surprising,”** said Hela as Laura lower the shield. “ **And who might _you_ be?”**

Laura, of course, said nothing but unsheathed her claws and crouched down in a fighting stance. Laura lunged at Hela, slashing her across the chest. Hela stumbled back a few paces before looking back down at her wound that, shockingly wasn’t healing itself.

“ **You _are_ surprising! No one’s been able to actually hurt me in a very long time! Just who are you, my dear?”**

Laura growled silently like the Alpha Wolf she was and prowled around Hela, anger twisting her beautiful features. Hela followed her movements by turning with her, not carrying about the rest of us. Hela obviously didn’t perceive the rest of us as a threat. She probably didn’t _even perceive Laura_ as a threat. I took my chance with her back to me and rammed my sword through her back. She gasped, but it seemed more out of surprise than pain.

She kicked me away from her and pulled the sword out of her heart and threw it aside.

“ **I can’t you just did that, Oscar!”** she said it like I’d just given away a secret and not just stabbed her through the chest. “ **After all we’ve been through? I thought you cared about me!”**

“Believe me, any feelings I had for you are _long gone!”_

She pouted for a second smiling wickedly, her hands glowing black. She raised a hand to my head, but before she could do anything, four claws sprouted from her chest. Laura hissed at her from over her shoulder. Laura swiveled Hela around as she, Hela, was impaled by ten sharp nails. Hela roared in anger and grabbed Laura and threw her over her shoulder. Laura, somehow, landed perfectly on her feet staring angrily at Hela, her eyes yellow.

“ **You think,”** Hela sounded genuinely furious, “ **you can come _here_ and kill me?! I cannot be killed!! I am immortal!!!”**

“You know,” said Shawn smirked as he lined up his guns, “I’m hearing a lot of lip flapping and not much else.”

He fired, landing four shots in the center of her head.

Hela roared in fury once she’d recovered. She blasted Shawn with black energy. Once the dust cleared, Shawn was fine a yellow shield lowering.

“ **You will _all die here!!”_** Hela screamed.

Laura lunged again, this time with the Artifacts following her. That got Hela’s attention.

Laura blasted her own yellow energy at Hela, blowing her into the throne and tipping it backward. Hela picked up the throne and hurled it at Laura who dodged it by rolling to the side.

I tried standing up, but instantly regretted it when I felt pain radiate from my side and leg when I tried putting weight on my right side.

_Shit,_ I thought, _I must have some fractured ribs and leg!_

Damn it! I was completely useless now! I could do nothing as I watched the others fight Hela.

Most of them fell to Hela’s attacks, Laura is the only one who could withstand them. Hela kept trying to goad Laura into speaking, not knowing that Laura couldn’t even make a sound. The more Laura “refused” to speak the angrier Hela became. Hela had never had a good temper. She’d always been the type to anger easily. Laura seemingly having picked up on that, as she, Laura, smirked when Hela started throwing insults at her.

One of the Artifacts flowed a bit too close to Hela and she tried grabbing at it, but it zipped out of her reached before she could get her hands on it. Giving me a mini heart-attack.

_Laura,_ I mentally pleaded to her, Laura’s eyes briefly flickered over to me before they returned to Hela, _please do not let Hela get her hands on_ any _of the Artifacts!_

Laura gave the smallest of nodded as she leapt out of the way of one of Hela’s attacks, the Artifacts following closely behind her.

“Oz!” I whipped my head around as Ophelia ran up to me, crouching down to be able to look me in the eye. “Are you alright?”

I nodded.

“I’ll be fine. Why aren’t you fighting?” I questioned.

“I do better in stealth combat. This,” she gestured to the fight going on around us, “doesn’t suit my fighting style. I’m not as strong as the others, so Laura asked me to look after you.”

I shook my head, she needed to understand!

“I’ll be fine! Ophelia, all of you need to fight! Leave me here! I will be fine!”

“Swallow your pride, Oz. Look, Laura’s holding her own against Hela. She’s doing more damage than the rest of us! She can handle this and you know it! I know you’re scared and worried, we all are! But remember _trust_! We’ve trusted you, you need to trust us! I think Laura might be the only one of who can possibly defeat her.”

I suddenly realized something. The Spirit of the Fan said that I would never be able to defeat Hela, but that someone else would and I would know them.

“Laura will defeat Hela,” I whispered in awe as I watched her fight.


	34. Chapter 28: End of the Artifacts

I watched as Laura was thrown across the room but landed in a crouched position and snarled silently at Hela before charging at her. Hela was now no longer focused on Laura and instead focused on trying to get her hands on the Artifacts. She, Hela, had almost gotten ahold of them several times before they zoomed out of her reach. Laura was now the only one fighting, the others being too injured or too tired.

“Laura,” I called to her.

She chanced a glance back at me. I jerked my head in a gesture that told her to come over here. Laura blasted Hela back into a wall before sprinting over to me and putting up a yellow energy shield.

“Laura,” I panted the pain in my side and leg making my mind foggy, “it’s time.”

She looked at me like I’d gone crazy, I might have I didn’t know, and shook her head furiously, not wanting to hear what I was saying. But I had to convince her.

“They,” I used my head to indicate the others in the room, “can’t stop her, Lu, but _you_ can!” she looked away from me, her lips trembling and eyes glazing over, I know she didn’t want to do it. But she had to! It was the only way! “Hey, look at me,” I said gently taking her tattooed hand in mine, rubbing her knuckles with my thumb, “You have the power to destroy the Artifacts _and_ Hela!”

She shook her head again, with unshed tears in her eyes. My heart broke for her. I hated having to ask this of her. But she was the only one who could do it. She was the only one who stood a chance of defeating Hela and ending all this pain and misery. Why did it have to be her?!

“You must do it. Lu, please… we are out of time and options!”

Hela began trying to break Laura’s shield. Laura glanced back at Hela for a moment before turning back to me. She looked close to tears. She’d been adamant about not wanting to do this. The likely hood of destroying the Artifacts greatly weakening both myself and Hela was too high for her to take the risk.

She blasted Hela back into a wall, debris falling from the ceiling and landing on top of Hela.

“ _I can’t do it! Oz, the risk is too high! What if when I do destroy the Artifacts, what if it kills you too? You said it yourself, somehow both yours and Hela’s lives are tied to them! I can’t! Please don’t make me!”_ she sobbed, looking at me pleadingly.

I felt my heart break for her farther. Why her? Why did it have to be her? Why couldn’t it be someone, _anyone_ else?!

“Yes, you can. You can.” I told her, ignoring my breaking heart. “If she gets the Artifacts, the world is doomed. It’s not fair.” I told her honestly, wanting her to know how much I hated this as much as she did. “It shouldn’t be you, but it is.”

She was gasping as a single tear ran down her cheek. This strong incredible woman was crying, for the first time in her life, and I hated that I was the cause. I never wanted her to cry, I wanted her to be happy. I wished that she didn’t have to do this! More than anything, I wanted to stop her crying and tell her it was alright, that she didn’t have to destroy the Artifacts and that she didn’t have to fight _my_ mistake, _my_ battle, _my_ fight!

“It’s all right. You could never,  _never_ hurt me.” I told her as she aimed her hand at the Artifacts, crying. A beam of yellow energy collided with all four of the Artifacts that started shaking. I felt my heart squeeze painfully in my chest, feeling like someone had wrapped wires around my heart and was trying to make it explode. It was painful, and when I heard Hela’s shout of pain, I knew she was feeling it too. Part of me was happy that my theory was correct, but that was overshadowed by the tears that were streaming down Laura’s face as she aimed her other hand at the Artifacts.

“You could never hurt me…” I lied to Laura, who looked at me tearfully, “I only feel you, Laura. I love you so much.”

The Artifacts shattered into millions of tiny pieces.

“ ** _NOOOOOO!!!!!”_** came Hela furious voice when she saw the Artifacts shatter.

“ **YOU FOOL!!!!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!!!!!?”**

I felt the wire around my heart tighten painfully before loosening slightly. I could feel the wire begin to spread throughout the rest of my body, and I suddenly felt very tired. Like I wanted to lay down and take a nap, but I knew I couldn’t. I had to stay awake. I had to see this through.

Laura lunged at Hela, slashing at her furiously, as Hela stumbled back each time she was hit. My mind began to fog up, making it harder to keep my eyes open. I had to force my eyes open as Lu flung Hela to the ground and unsheathed her foot claws and stabbed Hela in the side, then lifted Hela up with her yellow mist and threw her across the room.

I was so tired. I was finding it hard to keep my eyes opened as I slumped to the cold dark floor. I watched as Lu furiously reigned blow after blow on Hela, who looked just as tired as I did, but only angrier. Hela managed to blast Lu with a weak energy beam, which Lu easily deflected. Why was I trying to stay awake? I was having trouble remembering. My eyes felt heavy.

Lu, I have to stay awake for Lu! But, it was so hard! But I couldn’t give up. Not now, not after all I’d given up to see this day. Lu… I had to stay awake for Lu!


	35. Chapter 29: Price Paid

I shoved my claws into Hela’s chest for what felt like the thousandth time! I hated her and everything she did to Oscar! She deserved to die! She’d killed Oscar’s family! His wife! His children! Not to mention the number of times she killed _him!_ She also destroyed his Academy!

I watched Hela’s now limp body congeal on the floor as I tried to regain control of my breathing. When, after several minutes, she didn’t get back up I knew, Hela was dead.

Spun around to check on my Pack and Crow, they all seemed relatively alright, most of them seemed to just have a wounded pride. Then my attention turned to Oz. I scampered over to him. He looked so pale! And there were dark circles under his eyes!

_Nononononononononononono!!!!!!!!!!!!_ _Please! Don’t be dead!!_

Slowly, Oscar opened his eyes and smiled weakly at me.

“Hey Lu,” he rasped, he sounded so weak, this wasn’t good! “Did you beat her?”

_Shut up, you idiot! Save your energy!_

I cradled his head in my arms and rested his head against my chest. I tried so hard to keep the tears at bay, but it was very hard! I wished I could go back to feeling nothing! It felt like my heart and soul was being ripped apart! It wasn’t fair! After _all,_ Oz has given up and sacrificed why _did he_ have to die?! It wasn’t fair! It wasn’t fair!

I opened my mouth, desperately trying to form the words and get them out. It hurt. I felt my throat contract painfully as I tried to force it to make a sound I knew it never would. I wanted to tell him I loved him! I wanted to physically say the words! It got too painful, so I gave up.

I felt Oz cup one of my cheeks, pulling my attention back to him.

“I love you, too. And I meant what I said on the boat.”

I could hear Oscar’s heart begin to slow, it’s beating gradually become softer.

_No! It’s not fucking fair!_

“I am so…” he took a deep rasping breath, “glad I met all of you. And thank you… for all of your help. At least… I can die knowing that Almer doesn’t have to face Hela’s evil ever again.”

I felt something snap inside me. Tears started streaming down my face. I held Oscar closer to me. It wasn’t fair! Haven’t the Goddesses taken enough from both of us?! Why did they have to take _more?!_

“Oz!” it sounded like Crow, but he sounded so very far away.

Oscar traced the necklace he’d given me a few days ago and smiled weakly.

“I never told you… but this was… a favorite of my first wife’s. I think… she would’ve approved of me giving it to you. You… would’ve liked… each other.”

The light was fading from his eyes.

I didn’t even notice my Pack surrounding us until I felt Kenny’s hand on my shoulder. I looked up at him teary-eyed. He looked at me with pity in his eyes. Everyone had bruises all long their bodies in various shades and sizes. Kenny sporting a rather large one under his left eye.

“I’m… so sorry, Laura.”

I turned my attention back to Oscar, whose breathing turned shallow. But he was smiling.

“Thank you… all of you.”

“Shut up, Oz!” Crow said his voice quivering. “Save your strength!”

Oscar smiled at Crow.

“Crow, my friend, we all know… I’m dying. There’s no stopping it.”

I chocked on my sobs.

“Oz, you can’t die!” exclaimed V tears running down her face. “There’s so much we wanted to do together!”

“I know… I wish we’d been given more time…”

Oz slowly closed and opened his eyes, like he was struggling to keep them open. His heart was getting slower and fainter. NO! Please!!!

“I love you all… so much. With all my heart and soul. And I’m so proud of you. To see… how you’ve all grown… makes me so happy.”

“Please, don’t leave us, Oz!” pleaded Shawn tears running down his face.

“If I had it my way… I wouldn’t. I am… so very tired.”

I didn’t want this to end! I wanted him to stay! Stay with me, and our family! It wasn’t fair! He shouldn’t be the one who was dying! It was all Hela’s fault! She made all of the mistakes! She was a cruel one! She was the one who deserved to die over and over again! Oscar had done everything he could to correct his mistake! Hela was the one who deserved to be cursed to live forever and constantly die!

Oscar had taught my Pack and I so much! He showed that it was possible to still see the beauty in the world and not just the darkness and cruelty. He’d given us so much, and he wasn’t even going to see it!

“Lu,” I looked down at Oz, he smiled and tried to whip my tears away, “please don’t cry. I need you to live!”

_But, I don’t how to do this without you._ I told him and everyone else.

He smiled weakly, his heart growing weaker.

“I’ve learned something. There is no without. I am not gone. I will never leave you… any of you. Not really. I will be scattered into millions of pieces on your lives. Like the rain. There’s so much I want to tell… all of you… but I’m running out of time.”

“I’m… I’m sorry for all the times I didn’t listen to you, Oz?” Crow said quietly.

Oz smiled at Crow.

“Forgiveness is warm. Remember that. I want you all to remember that!” his eyes closed for a long time before he opened them again. “I want you all to remember me when you stand in the rain, or when you’re sad. Remember the good times we had.” He took a deep rasping breath. “Know that none of you could have changed this. None of you,” he looked at me when he said that.

Oscar’s heart stopped and he slowly closed his eyes.


	36. Chapter 30: The End of the Beginning

It felt like my heart and soul were ripped into millions of tiny pieces! Oscar was dead! It felt like this was all for nothing! We might have defeated Hela, but at what _fucking cost?!_

“L-Laura…” I vaguely heard V calling my name. Why did she sound so far away?

There was a ringing in my ears, drowning nearly everything out. It wasn’t fair! Everything hurt and was numb at the same time. I… I wish… it wasn’t fair! I wanted it all to end! The pain! The numbness! It all was too much!

Oscar still felt warm in my arms. But the way his head lolled to the side, his jaw was slack, and the lack of movement from his chest told me was dead.

Vaguely, I heard Kenny say, “C’mon everyone, let’s give her some time. Crow, Shawn, get Hela’s body. I don’t want it in here with them.”

I wanted to move! I wanted to get up and take Oscar from this place that had taken everything from him! But I couldn’t seem to find it in myself to move. I just held him to me and cried. I cried for the first time in my life! I’d let Oscar see me at my most vulnerable, and he’d let me see the same. It wasn’t FAIR!!

I wanted him back! I wanted the life I’d always wanted! Normal. Without having to constantly look over my shoulder. No more fighting. No more needless killing. No more killing in general! Normal! Oscar had told me on the boat that if we both made it through this, that was what he was going to give me. Me and my Pack. He said that he’d get us into a school. A real school! Any that we wanted! With real people! Where we could learn.

Oz was the first person who hadn’t reacted negatively to the fact that I was mute! While he had reacted to my appearance, he hadn’t tried flirting with me! He thought I was a good person even when I didn’t. He saw the good in me. He saw that I could be more than just the killer I was made to be. It wasn’t fair!

It wasn’t fair that such a good person was gone! He said that this couldn’t have been prevented! Why didn’t he tell me?! I never wanted to hurt him! I didn’t want to feel this pain! This numbness! I loved him! It wasn’t fair!

Why couldn’t Hela have just died on her own? Why did she have to take him too? I wanted to kill her again! But I couldn’t move. I didn’t want to move. I didn’t want to move from this spot. I couldn’t leave him! I couldn’t leave him alone!

I loved him! Oscar had helped me learn how to feel things. He’d helped me feel emotions and not just nothing!

Before I met Oscar my life was just a vast sea of white nothing. I was numb to everything. Happiness. Sadness. Anger. Fear. Everything. Then when I’d touched him, it was like… like someone had flipped a switch inside me. And suddenly I could feel everything. I knew what it was like to feel fear, anger, sadness, and most of all, I learned what it was like to be happy. Truly happy. Now, it felt like someone had ripped that switch out of me and broken it.

I was surrounded by black, but all I could see was white. That disgusting color! I never wanted to look at it! I wanted it all to end! Why couldn’t it?! I didn’t want to go back to feeling anything! And now it was a painful numbness.

Every muscle in my body cried out in pain as I continued to rock me and my love back and forth. I ignored the urge to stop. Anything was better than the cold painful numbness that was spreading throughout my body and what was left of my soul.

I wanted to end this! But I couldn’t move! I was frozen. Rooted to this spot. It wasn’t fair! Why was he taken from me?! He did nothing to deserve this! It wasn’t fair! I wanted him back!

My throat started feeling sore from the sound that would never come. But I didn’t care. Soreness was better than nothing.

I didn’t even realize that my Pack and Crow had come back and was standing at the entrance of the room, all with pity in their eyes as they watched.

It hurt! Everything was cold! Everything ached! I wanted it to stop! Why wouldn’t it all just go away?! Why couldn’t it just all _end?!_ It wasn’t fair! It hurt! It hurt! Make it all stop! Please! Just end it! Someone! Anyone! I’m begging! Make it end!

I felt Oscar’s body stir in my arms, but I barely noticed. I wasn’t until Oscar started gasping that I froze. Slowly, I peeled myself from his body… to find him looking at me.

“Hi,” he said quietly.

I stared, I must’ve lost it. It’s not unheard of for Hybrids to lose their minds if they lost their Mate.

I watched as Oscar slowly sat up. I wanted to reach out and touch him. But afraid that it was all in my head.

He looked over at me and smiled.

“No, I’m not in your head, Lu. I assure you, I am alive.” He turned his head to look at the others. “You can all see me, can’t you?”

They all nodded with wide shocked eyes.

He stood up and offered me his hand. I stared at him, not wanting this to be some cruel joke.

He gave me his lopsided smile and helped me stand up.

“They let me go,” he said quietly while wiping my tears. “They said this would be my last life, and let me go.”

I hesitantly rested one of my hands against his steadily darkening skin. He felt warm, and I could hear his strong heartbeat. He put my other hand over his heart where I could feel his heart beating strongly in his chest.

“I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”

I threw my arms around him and sobbed into his chest. He… he was alive!

“Lu,” he whispered in my ear, “will you marry me?”

I pulled away so I could look him in the eye, thinking I misheard him.

“Marry me, Lu. I don’t want to spend another day apart from you. What do you say? Will you marry me?”

I nodded, thinking about the life we could have together.


	37. Epilogue: Nine Years Later

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all who have read and commented on my story! I was so nervous when I first started posting it!  
> Be on the lookout for Book 2: Memories of the Fallen, coming in June.

Today marked the ninth anniversary of Hela’s defeat. So much had changed since that day. The Pack (which I and Crow where both officially apart of) had all gone to university and gotten their degrees which were one of their prized possessions. Sanctuary Academy had been rebuilt and I was once again the Headmaster. Laura Woode as she was now known, was now a world-famous composer, who would do concerts all around the world, and she couldn’t be happier!

But there was one thing that always bothered the Pack. The compound that they were held in. I held managed to track it down and found that after they’d escaped it had been abandoned. Apparently the files Lu had taken, some of them were over how to recreate one of them. They had burned them all after they’d escaped. But even though they knew the facility was abandoned, they wanted to see for themselves.

Which was why we all currently stood outside the compound, now overgrown with foliage.

“You guys don’t have to do this if you don’t want to,” Crow said.

“That’s the thing, we want to!” explained V who was twisting her wedding ring around her finger nervously.

“We have to know for certain, that they didn’t make any more of us!” said Kenny.

I looked over at my wife of nine wonderful years and placed a comforting arm around her.

She took a deep breath and made her way over the abandoned building. She and Shawn shouldered open the door, as a wave of dust and a foul smell met us once the doors were open. Everyone gagged and coughed.

The five original Pack members were tense and on guard as Crow and I followed behind them. We hadn’t bothered bringing our weapons, as we were still Slayers.

“I’m telling you there’s nothing here!” I said for the thousandth time.

They searched every room we came across until we came across a familiar room. It was the same room that they were kept.

“What’s that?” asked Ophelia pointing to a faintly glowing cryopod.

We all made our way over to it. Lu started wiping away the layers of dust while V started typing something out on the datapad attached to the pod.

I saw my wife freeze once she’d wiped away enough of the dust while almost at the same time I heard V gasp.

“What is it?” I asked worried as I joined Lu at the cryopod.

Looking down, I couldn’t help but gasp as well. Inside, lying sleeping was a beautiful baby girl. She couldn’t have been more than a few months old. She had light brown skin and a tuff of curly dark brown hair.

“It’s a baby,” I said amazed.

V quickly typed in a code, and the cryo-pod opened.

Lu scooped the tiny baby up in her arms, cradling her against her chest.

“Who is she? What’s it say about her?” asked Ophelia.

“It says that she was their Thirty-eighth attempt at recreating one of us,” V said reading from the datapad. “It also says that she’s a Lion Hybrid.”

“Does it say who her parents were?”

V froze, then quickly glanced at Lu.

“You are, Lulu. You’re her mother.”

“Oh, goddesses! Please tell me I’m not her father!” Kenny exclaimed looking somewhat horrified.

V shook her head. “It doesn’t say _who_ her father is. But she is yours, Lulu. They used your DNA as a base.”

I looked down at the tiny baby in my wife’s arms, who was just starting to stir.

“We have a baby,” I said quietly.

We’d been talking about starting a family. She was so tiny.

“What’ll you call her?”

“ _I have the perfect name!”_ Lu signed awkwardly due to only having one arm to use.

I smiled, I knew the name she was talking about.

“What’s that?”

“ _Talulah.”_

“Talulah?”

She nodded and smiled down at our new daughter.

“Talulah Woode.”

The baby, Talulah, cracked open one of her eyes and yawned. She had her mother’s brown eyes. I extended Talulah’s left arm and noticed that there was no brand.

“She doesn’t have a brand.”

“No,” agreed Ophelia, “they wouldn’t brand her this young. We were branded when we were all three years of age.”

I turned to Veronica, who was still reading from the datapad.

“Does it say anything else about her?”

“Umm… it says that she’s inherited Lulu’s Gift. Or at least, a version of it. It says that Talulah’s Gift isn’t as powerful as Lulu’s. But that she could still be useful.”

Lu bristled at the word ‘useful’ and held the bay closer to her.

“So,” said Shawn smiling at Talulah, “you guys have a little Lioness now.”

“I guess we do,” I said glancing down at the baby in my wife’s arms.

“Can we leave this place, now?” Crow asked.

Veronica downloaded the rest of Talulah’s files and shoved the drive into her pocket before we all headed back outside.

“Do you all feel better knowing that this is all that’s left of the facility?” I asked once we were all back outside, now accompanied by a baby.

“I have to say I do,” said Kenny.

“Yeah, it feels like a weight is off my shoulders,” said Shawn.

“I agree,” said Ophelia.

“I still want to do something with the building,” said Veronica.

_Burn it._ Came Laura’s voice in our heads.

Everyone’s head whipped around to her.

“What?” asked everyone in unison.

_Burn the building to the ground. Make sure that no one can ever find this place again._

“I have to agree with that,” said Kenny.

“Seriously?” asked a flabbergasted Crow.

“With all due respect Crow, but you weren’t there. You never went through what we did,” said Veronica.

It took us a while, but we managed to catch the building ablaze. We stood there in the middle of nowhere, watching the building that caused my family so much pain and misery burn. We stood there until there was nothing left but a pile of ashes.


End file.
